Real Madrid will lock horns with Liverpool at Anfield on Wednesday night having secured a 3-1 win over the Reds in the first leg of the UEFA Champions League quarterfinal tie earlier this month.
Los Blancos went on to earn a narrow 2-1 victory over Barcelona last Saturday which will add to their momentum heading into this European clash at Merseyside.
Zinedine Zidane could revert to a 4-3-3 formation and is expected to name the same lineup that started in the first leg. Marco Asensio was rested versus Barca, so he should be fresh and ready to start this game at Federico Valverde’s expense in midweek.
Thibaut Courtois will retain his spot in goal for Los Blancos after shipping in one goal in each of his last two appearances across all competitions. Nacho will continue to feature alongside Eder Militao at the centre of the Madrid backline as they try to keep the underperforming Liverpool attackers frustrated throughout the 90 minutes.
Ferland Mendy will be a nailed-on starter at left-back. However, Lucas Vazquez is a significant concern for this game as he picked up an injury in El Clasico. If the Spaniard can recover in time, he will start as the right-back. Otherwise, Álvaro Odriozola will take his place in that position.
The Real Madrid midfield will be comprised of Toni Kroos, Casemiro and Luka Modric once again as they look to get a stranglehold in the game at the centre of the park and expose Liverpool’s defensive weaknesses on the counter. All three of them will have to carry most of the creative workload for Los Blancos in the opposition half.
As mentioned earlier, Federico Valverde will have to be content with a place on the bench but might come on to influence the game in the latter stages if required.
Vinicius Junior scored a brace against Liverpool in the first leg, so he will fancy his chances of getting his name on the scoresheet once again from the left flank. Marco Asensio got a rest last Saturday and will be fresh for this exciting showdown at Anfield.
Karim Benzema scored a breathtaking goal in his last outing, so the French striker will be full of confidence when leading the charge for Zidane’s side up top.