C1: Mbappé and Real up against the wall in Liverpool

The King of Europe is up against the wall. A red wall, which saw the older ones break their teeth on it.

Decimated by injuries (Carvajal, Tchouaméni, Rodrygo, Vinicius Junior…), the Spanish giant in 15 Champions Leagues must necessarily win on the pitch at Anfield, or, at the very least, not concede a third defeat in five days which would greatly complicate his journey towards a sixteenth crown, the objective stated upon the arrival of Kylian Mbappé this summer.

Real, undefeated in its last eight clashes with the English club, including the two C1 finals in 2018 and 2022, certainly has history on its side.

But the dynamic is very favorable to the Reds, authors of an almost perfect start to the season under the orders of their new coach, Arne Slot, with 16 victories in 18 matches in all competitions.

At the top of the Premier League and the unified ranking of this new format Champions League, Liverpool is the only team to have won its first four C1 matches, against AC Milan (3-1), Leipzig (1-0) , Bologna (2-0) and Bayer Leverkusen (4-0).

His last setback on his lawn in the competition? February 21, 2023, against Real (5-2), precisely.

– Mbappé sole attack leader –

That evening, the Reds, who were leading two goals to zero in the 15th minute, ended up drowned in Madrid’s fury, carried by Karim Benzema and Vinicius Junior, irresistible and authors of a double each.

Neither one, who left for Saudi Arabia, nor the other, injured in the thigh, will be there on Wednesday to support Kylian Mbappé, expected as a savior by Merengue supporters for this crucial clash, after two major missed meetings against the Barça (4-0) and AC Milan (3-1), and a complicated period on and off the field.

The French striker, not called up for the second time in two months with the Blues, has found the net and a little confidence in the championship in Leganés (3-0), affirming that this international break has training in the Spanish capital had done him “a lot of good”.

Aligned on the left, his preferred position, for the first time since his arrival, the Bondynois appeared in good shape, but still far from his best level, when he was capable, with an acceleration or a classy gesture, of tipping a meeting alone.

With the void left by the Brazilian Vinicius, so often decisive in big matches over the last three seasons, “attention will be focused more than ever on the Frenchman” on Wednesday, assures the daily AS in an editorial.

“He scores goals, but he seems weakened. He still can’t find his footwork. Without Vinicius, he will occupy his favorite position, the left side of the attack, without any competition. “It’s a critical moment for Madrid, but ideal for Mbappé,” said the newspaper. Time to shine, finally.