Story lines abound in tomorrow’s UEFA Champions League headliner fixture, with Liverpool right back Trent Alexander-Arnold one of the most prominent. Not only has been strongly linked with a move to Wednesday night’s opponent, but there is also the issue of his fitness.
Having recovered from a hamstring injury, Alexander-Arnold will be in the squad, as confirmed by manager Arne Slot.
Real Madrid at Liverpool FC FYIs
Competition: UCL Matchday 5 of 8
Kickoff: Wed. Nov. 27, 8pm, Anfield, UK
Real Madrid Team News, Starting XI Prediction: go here
Liverpool FC Preview Content: Starting XI Prediction Full Injury Report Part 1 Injury Report Part 2 Team News
Liverpool FC Team News
However, the English international will not feature in a starting role, the Reds boss confirmed. Moving on from Alexander-Arnold, Kostas Tsimikas (knock on his ankle) has now joined the Anfield infirmary, having missed out on the weekend. On the plus side though, Harvey Elliott returned to the matchday squad that bested Southampton FC.
Finally, the following list of Merseysiders remain sidelined for this one, as they are long-term injury absentees:
goalkeeper Alisson Becker (hamstring), forward Diogo Jota (abdominal) and winger Federico Chiesa (match fitness, I guess? I don’t know, his situation has been unclear).
Paul M. Banks is the Founding Editor of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He currently contributes to USA Today’s NFL Wires Network, the Internet Baseball Writers Association of America and RG. His past bylines include the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. His work has been featured in numerous outlets, including the Wall Street Journal, Forbes, the Washington Post and ESPN. You can follow him on Linked In and Twitter.