Liverpool Seeks to End 15-Year Winless Streak Against Real Madrid

Liverpool’s last victory against Real Madrid occurred in March 2009, a memorable 4-0 win that secured their place in the Champions League quarter-finals. Since then, the Reds have not defeated the Spanish club, enduring a 15-year winless streak over their last eight encounters. This Wednesday, Liverpool will host Real Madrid at Anfield, a fixture they might view as their prime opportunity to break this prolonged winless period and sustain Arne Slot’s strong beginning as manager. Under Arne Slot’s management this season, Liverpool has achieved 16 wins, one draw, and one defeat. The transition from Jurgen Klopp’s tenure to Slot’s leadership has been notably successful. Slot’s team currently leads the Premier League and also began this week at the top of their Champions League group. In their four European matches to date, they have secured victories in all of them, netting 10 goals while conceding only one. This performance contrasts with Real Madrid’s start to their campaign in both La Liga and the Champions League. Despite Carlo Ancelotti’s team winning both competitions last season, they currently rank second in their domestic league and commenced the week in 18th position in the Champions League league phase. Of their four European matches played so far, three have been at home, resulting in convincing victories against Stuttgart and Borussia Dortmund, but a 3-1 defeat to AC Milan in their latest game. Notably for Liverpool, Real Madrid’s sole away fixture in Europe ended in a 1-0 loss to Lille. Real Madrid notably strengthened their squad with the high-profile summer acquisition of France international Kylian Mbappe. The forward concluded a six-year tenure at Paris St-Germain, where he amassed an impressive 256 goals in 308 appearances across all competitions. At Real, he has registered eight goals in 16 games, including a La Liga goal on Sunday, but only one of these goals has been in the Champions League, occurring in the 3-1 victory against Stuttgart on 17 September. Subsequently, he has played against Lille, Dortmund, and Milan without scoring, and also failed to score in the season’s inaugural El Clasico, which Barcelona won 4-0. A contributing factor to Mbappe’s current form may be the positional change he has experienced; at PSG, he primarily operated on the left wing, whereas at Real, he is predominantly utilized as a central striker. Spanish football expert Guillem Balague commented on BBC Radio 5 Live’s Euro Leagues podcast, stating, “I don’t think he’s enjoying what he has to do but he has to do it.” Balague added, “He’s gone from every time he makes a run in behind at PSG he got the ball, to now convince his team-mates he’s the guy who needs to be given the ball – and it hasn’t happened yet. You’ve got the talent but the click hasn’t arrived.” A reason for Mbappe’s deployment away from his preferred position is to allow Ancelotti to utilize Vinicius Jr on the left flank and Jude Bellingham on the right. Bellingham, similar to Mbappe, is currently finding it challenging to display his full capabilities, having scored only two goals in 13 appearances across all competitions this season. These two goals were scored in his most recent two matches, potentially indicating a return to form following a slow start to the season that was also affected by injury. This performance stands in sharp contrast to his remarkable debut campaign at Real last year, during which he netted 11 goals in his initial 12 club appearances. European football expert Mina Rzouki commented, “At the moment Jude Bellingham is doing a lot of defensive and offensive work.” She added, “There needs to be a better balance in midfield.” While Bellingham and Mbappe are still seeking their peak form, Vinicius Jr has been performing exceptionally well this season. The Brazilian forward has accumulated 12 goals in 16 appearances, notably scoring a hat-trick in a 4-0 victory over Osasuna on 9 November. Liverpool supporters will likely find relief in his absence from Wednesday’s match due to a hamstring injury, recalling his impactful performance at Anfield last year where he initiated a Real Madrid comeback from a two-goal deficit with the first two goals in a 5-2 win. He has scored a total of five goals against the Reds and four in the current Champions League campaign, representing a significant loss for Real. Following consecutive defeats to Barcelona and then AC Milan, Real Madrid reportedly began evaluating their options. External reports connected former club midfielder Xabi Alonso with a potential return, contingent on him completing his managerial duties at Bayer Leverkusen until the conclusion of the current season. Furthermore, it was externally reported that the club’s hierarchy convened a meeting after the Milan defeat and subsequently opted to retain him for the immediate future. On 8 November, Ancelotti himself stated his belief that he had resolved the issues that had hindered Real’s season start. He remarked, “We have evaluated the situation with the players. We think we have found the solution. But we need to put that into practice. That is what we are hoping to do, to play differently.” Consecutive victories followed these statements, potentially indicating that the problems have been addressed. Maintaining their unbeaten record against Liverpool this Wednesday would further support this assessment.