Liverpool vs Real Madrid Preview

Liverpool will look to continue their impressive run of form when they welcome Real Madrid to Anfield for their fifth game of the 2024/25 Champions League.

The Reds have enjoyed a brilliant start to life under Arne Slot. The Dutchman has overseen 18 games since taking charge at Anfield and he has won 16 of those, losing just once and drawing one.

Four out of those 16 wins came in the Champions League where Liverpool remain the only team with a 100% winning rate this season. As such, they sit at the top of the Champions League league phase table with one foot in the next round.

The driving force behind their success has arguably been their possession of the best defensive record in Europe. But the Reds will now undoubtedly face their toughest task of the season when they host Europe’s most successful club and reigning European champions, Real Madrid, who they’ve lost seven of their last eight H2Hs against (D1), including two Champions League finals.

Against no other team have Liverpool tasted defeat in more continental matches, jeopardising their hopes of winning their first five games of a major European competition for only the second time in their history. However, Real Madrid’s current form will offer some hope for Red fans to exact revenge on the Spanish giants.

The visitors have struggled in the Champions League this season, losing two out of their opening four games (W2), including a 3-1 defeat at home to AC Milan in their last such outing. The results have come as a great surprise since they won the competition last term, going unbeaten for the first time in their illustrious history.

As such, they are now in danger of breaking an unwanted record as never before have they lost three matches in a single group stage/league phase. Despite all that adversity, manager Carlo Ancelotti will probably still be the coolest man in Anfield, having seen it all against Liverpool, whom he’s beaten eight times in 11 attempts in the Champions League (D1, L2). Back-to-back high-scorning wins over Osasuna (4-0) and Leganes (3-0) also offers them hope that they can get a result at Anfield.