Liverpool vs Real Madrid lineups, starting 11 for Champions League showdown
Liverpool host old opponents Real Madrid in the Champions League round of 16 first leg at Anfield this week, with Jurgen Klopp seeking his first win against the Spanish giants since arriving on Merseyside in 2015.
Klopp’s charges lost to Real Madrid in the 2018 and 2022 finals when Los Blancos were under Zinedine Zidane and Carlo Ancelotti respectively, both sides who won the Champions League in 2019.
The tie will be full of subplots as Ancelotti looks to continue his quest for a record-breaking fifth title as manager and Klopp looks to revive Liverpool’s own volatile campaign in 2023.
Below are the (predicted) line-ups for both teams based on the latest news leading up to the game.
MORE: Breakdown of 2022/2023 Champions League prize money
Lineup Liverpool vs. Real Madrid
Both managers are missing key players through injury ahead of their Anfield meetings, while Ancelotti is looking to balance his experienced stars against the demands of a hectic season.
Klopp has been bolstered by some key returns in recent weeks but there are major pre-game concerns about moving forward Darwin Nunezwho has “a chance” to play.
Below are the expected starting line-ups of both sides ahead of this Champions League game at Anfield on February 21st.
Liverpool from 11
(4-3-3): Alisson (GK) – Alexander-Arnold, Matip, Van Dijk, Robertson – Henderson, Fabinho, Bajcetic – Salah, Gakpo, Jota
- Injured: Ramsay, Thiago, Diaz, Konate, Arthur
- Blocked: None
Klopp has hinted Nunez could be fit in time after suffering a shoulder injury in the weekend’s 2-0 Premier League win at Newcastle United, but the Uruguayan is likely to start on the bench.
Diogo Jota is the most natural replacement for Nunez, with the experience of Joel Matip preferred to Joe Gomezand Klopp is said to be loyal to rising teenage star Stefan Bajcetic in midfield.
Real Madrid from 11
(4-3-3): Courtois (GK) – Carvajal, Militao, Alaba, Nacho – Valverde, Camavinga, Modric – Rodrygo, Benzema, Vinicius Jr
- Injured: Mendy, Kroos, Tchouameni, Diaz
- Blocked: None
Ancelotti will rely on experience Thibaut Courtois, Luke Modric And Karim Benzema through the backbone of his starting crew Tony Kroos And Aurelien Tshouameni excluded.
Fede Valverde will likely return to midfield to cover, with Benzema leading the attack, flanked by a Brazilian duo Rodrygo And Vinicius Jr.
Liverpool vs Real Madrid Live Stream, TV Channels
With 20 titles and 27 final appearances since 1956, these two sides are among the most successful in European Cup/Champions League history.
However, a meeting at this stage means the end of the road for one of them. Either team has played in five of the last seven finals, but only one can reach that stage this season.
| TV channel | stream | |
|---|---|---|
| USA | CBS, Univision, TUDN USA | fuboTV, Paramount+, ViX+ |
| Canada | — | DAZN |
| United Kingdom | BT Sport 1, BT Sport Ultimate | BT Sport app/website |
| Australia | — | Stan sports |
| New Zealand | — | Spark sports |
| India | — | Sony LIV, Jio TV |
| Hong Kong | beIN Sport 3 | beIN Sports Connect |
| Malaysia | — |
beIN Sports Connect |
| Singapore | — | beIN Sports Connect |
Australia: Fans can stream every UEFA Champions League match and all the action ad-free, live and on-demand on Stan Sport.
Canada: Every Champions League game in Canada can be streamed exclusively on DAZN.
UNITED KINGDOM: The UEFA Champions League will be covered by BT Sport’s TV and streaming platforms.
UNITED STATES: Fans in the US can watch the Champions League in English (CBS and Paramount+) and Spanish (Univision, TUDN, UniMas, ViX and ViX+).
When games are broadcast on CBS or Univision channels, the same channels are streamed on fuboTV which is available as a free trial for new users.