Real Madrid deliver CRUEL Liverpool blow

Everyone is talking about the big game tonight.

Liverpool take on Real Madrid in the Champions League under the floodlights at Anfield.

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It's an opportunity for Arne Slot's men to write history. An opportunity for the new head-coach to do what Jurgen Klopp had not been able to do in his previous regime.

In fact, what any Liverpool manager has not been able to do in 15 years - beat Real Madrid.

Ahead of the game, the focus was on Liverpool's young U19 side, who took on Real Madrid as the curtain raiser for the match in the evening, and things did not go entirely according to plan.

Real Madrid deliver cruel Liverpool blow

Unlike Liverpool's first team, the U19 side has struggled to get going in the UEFA Youth League, which has a slightly different but also similar system to the new Champions League format.

The only exception being that teams only play six rather than eight matches.

This means, this was Liverpool's penultimate game of this round of the competition. A win at home would have guaranteed the young Reds with all certainty to qualify to the next round.

And Liverpool lined up with a strong outfit that included Rio Ngumoha and Trey Nyoni, both of whom are regularly training with the first team.

But even they were not able to stop or prevent Real Madrid causing an upset at Kirkby.

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The Spanish side, who are incidentally led by a former club cult hero in Alvaro Alberoa, took an early lead in the third minute and held onto it for the rest of the game.

Liverpool tried to surge forward and there were a few really bright moments from Nyoni and Ngumoha but it was to no avail.

Arbeloa's side played a frustrating style of play that made it very difficult for Liverpool to break them down and with the Reds missing their main goal threat and being forced to play Kieran Morrison as a false nine, they struggled to create any clear cut chances.

The defeat is a big blow in Liverpool's hopes of qualifying to the next round.

Only the first 22 teams qualify from the competition, and Liverpool are currently in 20th place. There are five teams who can go above them still on the final matchday where the Reds take on an unbeaten Girona.

Given the amount of teams who can go above Liverpool with a win on the final day, the Reds likely need all three points against Girona to be certain of qualification to the next round.

And given that Girona are unbeaten, that is going to be a very tough ask.

But at least for now, the young Reds have their fate in their own hands.

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