Liverpool v Real Madrid team news and possible starting line-up – UCL | 21 February 2023

Liverpool host Real Madrid at Anfield in the UEFA Champions League Round of 16 first leg in a repeat of the 2021/22 Champions League final.

Anfield awaits… ✊ #LIVRMA pic.twitter.com/njkwEEw86f

— Liverpool FC (@LFC) February 21, 2023

Liverpool team news
Liverpool’s success over Newcastle at the weekend came at quite the cost, as Darwin Nunez was forced off just before the hour mark with a painful shoulder problem, and he will undergo further assessment in the coming hours to determine his availability for Tuesday.

The Uruguayan was seen in training on Monday, but should he miss out, Diogo Jota and Roberto Firmino will engage in a fierce battle to complete the attack, and the former may win that head-to-head if Klopp opts to deploy Gakpo centrally again.

Luis Diaz, Ibrahima Konate, Thiago Alcantara and Calvin Ramsay make up the rest of Liverpool’s confirmed absentees, while Arthur is still a doubt as he recovers from thigh surgery, so effervescent teenager Stefan Bajcetic can look forward to a deserved start against the European champions.

Real Madrid team news
Similarly, Real may be sweating over the fitness of their star striker Karim Benzema after he was left out of the clash with Osasuna due to muscular fatigue, but Ancelotti is expecting the Ballon d’Or winner to have fully recovered for Tuesday after enjoying a much-needed rest.

In more pressing matters, key midfield duo Aurelien Tchouameni and Toni Kroos have both been suffering from illness, and both players have been left out of the squad here, so Eduardo Camavinga and Dani Ceballos ought to join Luka Modric in the triumvirate.

Left-back Ferland Mendy is facing several more weeks out with a thigh injury, and backup striker Mariano Diaz has also picked up an unspecified problem, which has rendered him unavailable, but Courtois – who made nine saves in last year’s final – has recovered from a hamstring issue and will start on his return to English turf.

Liverpool Predicted Team:

Alisson; Alexander-Arnold, Gomez, Van Dijk, Robertson; Bajcetic, Fabinho, Henderson; Salah, Gakpo, Jota

Real Madrid Predicted Team:

Courtois; Carvajal, Militao, Rudiger, Alaba; Ceballos, Camavinga, Modric; Valverde, Benzema, Vinicius Jr