Liverpool are set to face the first of two Spanish challenges in the Champions League tonight as they welcome Atletico Madrid to Anfield, with a clash against Real Madrid looming in November. Arne Slot will be eager for his team to make an impressive start to the competition that Liverpool have clinched six times in their history, but were knocked out of in the round of 16 last season.
Diego Simeone’s Atletico have previously given them a tough time under former manager Jurgen Klopp, including eliminating the Reds in 2020 just before the Covid-19 pandemic hit. A victorious start would position the Reds well for the remainder of the Champions League’s group stage, during which they are due to play Real – now managed by ex-Red Xabi Alonso – in the first week of November. When the match was drawn, immediate attention was focused on the fact that Trent Alexander-Arnold had been put in the spotlight for a return to his former home with the club he chose to join instead of renewing his contract with Liverpool.
However, this reunion is now uncertain due to a hamstring injury sustained in the opening five minutes of Los Blancos’ Champions League opener against Marseille on Tuesday night. The full-back is expected to spend up to six weeks on the sidelines.
After Alexander-Arnold was forced off injured, he was replaced by seasoned player Dani Carvajal. However, the Spaniard was later shown a red card for head-butting opposition goalkeeper Geronimo Rulli with 21 minutes remaining at the Santiago Bernabeu.
UEFA regulations stipulate that a player or team official who is sent off by the referee is automatically suspended for one match in UEFA club competitions. Consequently, Carvajal is banned from playing against Kazakhstani team Kairat Almaty on Tuesday, 30 September.
However, in the case of a serious offence, such as the Spaniard’s headbutt, a UEFA disciplinary body has the right to ‘increase this punishment’.
This could potentially extend the offender’s ban to more than one match. As a result, Real Madrid may find themselves in a difficult situation six weeks ahead of their trip to Merseyside to face Liverpool at Anfield.
If Alexander-Arnold’s injury test results are negative and he is set to spend an extended period on the sidelines, plus Carvajal’s suspension is increased from one match to the next three, Alonso will be left without a recognised senior right-back when he must select a team to play against the Reds. Midfielder Federico Valverde could be deployed there as he was in the last meeting between the two clubs when Carlo Ancelotti was the Real Madrid manager.
Slot has Cody Gakpo, Hugo Ekitike, and Rio Ngumoha, all ready to take advantage of this potential weakness in Real’s defence.