• Liverpool have conceded in each of their three Champions League matches

• Kylian Mbappe has scored first in Real Madrid's last two games

• Recommended bet: Kylian Mbappe first goalscorer

Liverpool will hope they have put their blip behind them with Saturday's 2-0 win over Aston Villa but next face a rampant Real Madrid side in the Champions League.

Los Blancos romped past Valencia 4-0 on Saturday and have won 13 out of 14 games in all competitions this season.

Xabi Alonso is still settling into his role as Real's coach but will at least get a warm welcome at Anfield, where he starred for five years as a player before joining his current club in 2009.

His predecessor, Carlo Ancelotti, saw his side lose 2-0 at Anfield in last season's league phase, but Kylian Mbappe's form makes them an entirely different prospect in 2025-26.

The latest Liverpool vs Real Madrid odds are available on LiveScore Bet

Team news

Alisson Becker remains sidelined with a hamstring injury, so Giorgi Mamardashvili will again start in Liverpool's goal, while Giovanni Leoni (ACL) and Jeremie Frimpong (hamstring) are also definitely out.

Arne Slot benched summer signings Florian Wirtz and Milos Kerkez for the win over Villa and may again go with something more akin to last season's Premier League title-winning side, especially after Ryan Gravenberch starred in that victory.

For Real, Dani Carvajal would usually be available following suspension for his red card in September's win over Marseille but has been ruled out until 2026 with a knee injury.

That means Trent Alexander-Arnold is in contention to feature against his former club, although he has been an unused substitute in his team's last two games since returning from a muscle injury sustained in that match against Marseille.

Fede Valverde could instead play right-back, while Antonio Rudiger is out and David Alaba is a doubt.

The stats

Real Madrid have won 13 out of 14 competitive fixtures, only losing to Atletico Madrid, who Liverpool beat 3-2 on matchday one.

The Reds have since lost 1-0 at Galatasaray and won 5-1 at Eintracht Frankfurt, while Real have nine points thanks to wins over Marseille (2-1), Kairat (5-1) and Juventus (1-0).

Kylian Mbappe has opened the scoring in Real's last two games and two of their three Champions League fixtures.

Mbappe has scored five times in this season's Champions League, while Liverpool's leading scorer is Virgil van Dijk with two.

The latest Liverpool vs Real Madrid odds are available on LiveScore Bet

Prediction

Everything was going right for Slot and the Reds when they beat Real 2-0 last season but, after a brilliant start to the current campaign, their win over Villa was just their second in eight in all competitions.

The Dutchman's decision to revert to last season's successful formula helped, but they now face a team that do not really seem to play to a style, instead working hard as a team to enable their key players like Vinicius Junior and Mbappe to create scoring opportunities.

Vini missed last season's trip to Anfield but is fit for Tuesday, as is Mbappe, fresh from scoring twice in Saturday's 4-0 win over Valencia.

After breaking the deadlock in the 2-1 El Clasico win over Barcelona, he has scored first in Real's last two games and two out of three in the Champions League.

Liverpool's defence has looked ragged this season, with Saturday's clean sheet their first in 11 games.

With 21 goals for club and country this season, the Frenchman can expose their weakness.

Back Kylian Mbappe first goalscorer at 3/1 with LiveScore Bet