Slot taking Feyenoord lesson forward as Liverpool prepare to face Real Madrid

Arne Slot continues to pass every test thrown at him as Liverpool manager.

Now one of football's ultimate exams; the European giant called Real Madrid. And the Dutchman admits his side will face a team that never knows when they will be beaten.

The Reds sit top of the Premier League, with only Nottingham Forest able to take three points from them at home so far this season. In Europe, they have ensured that AC Milan, Bologna, RB Leipzig and Bayer Leverkusen have reached the top of the new Champions League table with a record of 100 percent.

But now for the visit of the current holders of Europe's most coveted crown, as 15-time winners Real and the league's most successful manager, Carlo Ancelotti, arrive at Anfield. They are a side known for always finding a way to win, as evidenced by their success last season and in 2022 when they defeated Liverpool in the final.

“I can't speak for all the other teams they face, but when I was at my old club I often said that we have to take advantage of Madrid, that they always find a way to win,” said former Feyenoord boss Slot. “They can win in different ways and if it is difficult for them they can still win a match and that is probably one of the reasons – besides having so much quality – that they have won a lot this tournament.

“I can only speak for myself, but maybe the players feel the same. If we are lucky enough to be one goal higher or even higher, we are still aware of the fact, especially because of what we experienced two years ago, that the match will never be done until the referee blows his whistle. In general it is like that, but I think we all feel this against Real Madrid, but more than against some of the other clubs we face.”

It was in the 2022-2023 season when Real came to Anfield and trailed by two goals, before leaving Merseyside with a 5-2 lead in the last 16 tie, which they would win 6-2 on aggregate. Liverpool have not tasted victory against the Spanish giants since 2009, with two last defeats in their eight games without a win, meaning Slot can do something Jurgen Klopp never achieved by beating Los Blancos with the Reds.

But this is another Real team still acclimating to the introduction of Kylian Mbappe and without the injured Vinicius Jr. will say, having lost two of their four games in Europe so far this season. Jude Bellingham, who was heavily linked with a move to Liverpool before joining Madrid, will make his Anfield debut tonight.

He will not face his friend Trent Alexander-Arnold from the start, at least because the right-back is not fit enough to play 90 minutes, but he may see action later as he recovers from a hamstring injury. The Real star dodged the question of whether he would want his England teammate to become his clubmate next season if Alexander-Arnold is out of contract with Liverpool this summer.

“He's a Liverpool player and it would be disrespectful to come to his house before an important match and talk about something that could be misinterpreted, so it's important to take that pressure off of him,” Bellingham said.