Liverpool’s predicted XI vs Real Madrid as impenetrable backline needed while Florian Wirtz decision made

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Liverpool have a huge game on their hands as they welcome Real Madrid.The Reds come into this game off the back of a solid victory against Aston Villa, with this result, something fans will hope they can take with them into the Champions League midweek.Standing in their way are 15-time winners Real Madrid, with this game being overshadowed by it being Trent Alexander-Arnold’s homecoming.Join our newsletter for news & smart analysis. However, Arne Slot will not be dwelling on that too much and his only focus will be setting up his team to win, but how he will do that is as good a guess as any.

With that in mind, here is the XI we think he will put out at Anfield.DefenceBetween the sticks is still the most obvious choice as Alisson Becker is still not ready to play, meaning Giorgi Mamardashvili will start again.The Georgian kept his first clean sheet of the season against Villa and he will need to be back at his best again, with the 25-year-old expected to be very busy in this one.Conor Bradley will likely keep his place at right-back due to the lack of options Liverpool have, although after a strong outing last time against Madrid, which included that tackle on Kylian Mbappe, then he might be the best choice anyway.On the other side, Slot will likely opt for Andy Robertson due to his experience, with this not really a game for Milos Kerkez given how much emotion he puts into every performance.The two centre-backs will remain the same as well, with Virgil van Dijk looking to build on an impressive performance against Villa, while Ibrahima Konate might be looking for an early audition ahead of a potential summer move.MidfieldThe middle of the park will be a key battle in this game as whichever team is stronger here will likely win the game.Luckily for Liverpool, they have almost all of their options to choose from, so Ryan Gravenberch will be the first name on the teamsheet and will take up the holding midfielder role.Just in front of him should be Alexis Mac Allister due to impressing at the weekend despite not starting for a while, with the Argentine keeping Curtis Jones out of the team despite him returning to training this week.READ MORE: Liverpool have alternative January plan for Calvin Ramsay despite impressive display vs Crystal PalaceIn the number 10 role, Slot has a decision to make: Does he go for Florian Wirtz or Dominik Szoboszlai?However, we think that it has to be the latter, with the Hungarian’s engine an absolute must if the Reds are going to win the game.This would see Wirtz benched again, although putting the transfer fee aside, there is no reason why he should play ahead of anyone else in the midfield for this one.AttackThe attack is another one that cannot really change too much, with Slot likely going for the same front three that started on Saturday.Mohamed Salah will start on the right after looking closer to his best, with this such a big game that it would be no surprise to see him turn up.On the left will be Cody Gakpo, with the Dutchman having the important role of stopping Alexander-Arnold going forward as much as possible.Leading the line has to be Hugo Ekitike for many reasons, but firstly because Alexander Isak missed training again due to injury.However, the Frenchman probably deserves the start anyway, with this another chance to prove why he should be the main man under Slot.Liverpool’s predicted XI vs Real Madrid