Real Madrid News
Rival watch: Two Liverpool superstars doubtful for Champions League clash against Real Madrid
Less than a week remains before the big European showdown between Real Madrid and Liverpool in the UEFA Champions League.
Los Blancos dropped three points in their recent UCL game against AC Milan and thus slipped down to 18th place on the standings after four games played.
Their opponents, meanwhile, are the only team on a perfect record in the competition so far and sit on top of the standings with twelve points.
Liverpool will have the home advantage on the night and Real Madrid enter as the slight underdogs given the long injury list. Yet, the Merseyside Kings have their fair share of injuries as well.
Two key players doubtful
As relayed by AS in a recent update, Arne Slot could be without two key stars for the game against Real Madrid next week – Alisson and Trent Alexander-Arnold.
The Liverpool manager confirmed in his pre-match press conference ahead of the game against Southampton that the goalkeeper was still not training with the team.
“Alisson has returned to training with the goalkeeper coach, not yet with the team, but he is expected to do so soon. Let’s wait to see what state of form he is in for the game,” he said.
The goalkeeper will thus not play this weekend and is a serious doubt for the big game against Real Madrid in what comes as a much-needed boost for the Merengues.
Alexander-Arnold, meanwhile, suffered an injury just before the international break and has still not completely recovered. The manager confirmed that the full-back is also not training with the group and is thus a doubt.
While the double blow for Liverpool will indeed be significant, Real Madrid boast of a much longer injury list with Eder Militao, David Alaba, Rodrygo, Lucas Vazquez, Aurelien Tchouameni and Dani Carvajal all injured.
Real Madrid News
Mourinho reacts to Vinicius suspension: “Why announce it two hours before an important match?”
Real Madrid manager Jose Mourinho has questioned the RFEF Disciplinary Committee’s decision to announce Vinicius Jr.’s four-match suspension just hours before their UEFA Champions League meeting with AS Roma on Wednesday.
The Brazilian has been hit with a four-match ban for his red card against Villarreal, meaning he will miss the matches against Sevilla, Barcelona, Racing Santander, and Valencia.
And, speaking to Movistar+ (h/t MARCA) before the match, the Real Madrid manager was asked whether the punishment could affect the Brazilian psychologically.
Mourinho instead turned his attention to the football authorities and the timing of their announcement.
“I think that is a question for the Committee. Why have they announced the suspension at this particular moment? If you are asking me this question, it is presumably because you think it could affect him,” the Portuguese coach replied.
“You should ask the Committee why they did not announce it this morning, or tomorrow morning. Why do they do it two hours before a match that is important for Real Madrid, which is a Spanish club?” he added, questioning the timing of the decision.
Mourinho explains his tactical approach against Roma
The Real Madrid manager also outlined his plan for facing a Roma side known for their aggressive pressing.
“My intention is to stop them from pressing us so high up the pitch, given the players we have available and as a precaution,” he said.
Continuing, the Portuguese manager added: “They press man-to-man higher up the pitch better than anyone else, and we will see whether we can take advantage of that. If not, they will have to drop their press five or ten metres.”
Why Rudiger over Huijsen
Mourinho also justified his decision to start Antonio Rudiger at centre-back alongside Ibrahima Konate rather than Dean Huijsen.
“They played very well together in the last match, Rudiger and Konate, showing great leadership and the ability to withstand a difficult situation when we had ten men for 30 minutes,” he said.
“I am not saying Dean is not capable of playing a match like this, but this is a wonderful atmosphere for Roma and a difficult one for us. I think a player with Antonio’s experience can be important,” Mourinho added.
Finally, Mourinho was asked about his emotions ahead of returning to face Roma, the club he managed between 2021 and 2024.
The Portuguese coach offered a brief response, saying that he had his feelings about the occasion “blocked”.
