Big Midweek Preview: Liverpool vs Real Madrid headlines as Alexander-Arnold returns to Anfield and PSG face Bayern showdown
After finally finding their rhythm in the win over Aston Villa, Trent Alexander-Arnold makes his return to Anfield in white, while Liverpool looks determined to prove they’re back on track.
It’s shaping up to be a huge week of football drama, with Paris Saint-Germain facing their toughest European test against Bayern Munich, and Alexander-Arnold’s Real Madrid stepping back onto Anfield turf for another Champions League showdown.
Elsewhere, Rangers and Coventry City are both eager to bounce back from disappointing weekend results, while Tottenham Hotspur face a must-win clash with Copenhagen after being booed off by their home crowd against Chelsea.
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Strangely, despite Arsenal, Chelsea, Manchester City, Crystal Palace, and Aston Villa all being in action, none of them feature in this stacked Big Midweek lineup, and that alone says a lot about how unpredictable this week’s fixtures really are.
Team to Observe: Liverpool Playing Against Real Madrid
In relation to Liverpool’s game versus Real Madrid. After losing six of their previous seven games, Arne Slot and his team needed to bounce back against Aston Villa.
By doing so and maintaining their third clean sheet of the season, they are well-positioned for a very challenging encounter on Tuesday.
Ryan Gravenberch has returned to the team, which should not be undervalued, and Mohamed Salah has already scored in back-to-back Premier League games.
In and out of possession, Slot’s Liverpool appear much more composed and composed because to his soothing presence in midfield.
It wouldn’t be shocking if Slot’s team remained the same, and he must start against Madrid. Rotation is necessary, but at this point, momentum and confidence are crucial.
Liverpool must demonstrate that they are still competitive in the Premier League and Champions League and that they have recovered from a historically bad run of play.
For the Premier League winners, who take on Manchester City on Sunday, it’s an important week overall.
Although it won’t be a pivotal week for the Reds, their performance will give a clear picture of their position at the end of 2025–2026.
Player to Observe: Trent Alexander-Arnold Playing Against His Former Club(Liverpool)
Although there is no assurance that Trent Alexander-Arnold will start for Real Madrid against Liverpool at Anfield, it is still possible. For us, that is sufficient.
The biggest story of the week by far is that many Liverpool supporters consider Alexander-Arnold to be a traitor because he walked to Madrid on a free transfer at the end of his contract, depriving them of a fee.
The possibility of the England right-back really playing for Liverpool at Anfield is amazing, but there isn’t much to say about him that hasn’t already been said.
It wouldn’t be shocking to see him struggle as an opposing player under the intimidating Anfield lights, but he doesn’t deserve the jeers he will unavoidably face.
When Trent pulled up with a strained hamstring within the first few minutes of his Champions League debut for Los Blancos against Marseille, some Liverpool supporters even celebrated his most recent injury setback.
Fortunately, Alexander-Arnold has recovered in time to be picked to play against his old team. The question is whether Alexander-Arnold should even begin, not if he is fit.
Xabi Alonso has the chance to rotate throughout the Champions League, and Federico Valverde, who helped his team defeat Valencia 4-0, may return to midfield at right-back after being an unused substitute in Madrid’s previous two La Liga games.
Trent’s start against Marseille indicates that Alonso wants him to play in Europe, and even though he is paid a lot of money to perform well against anyone, the Madrid manager may think about keeping him off the firing line.
Alonso, however, will want his top players to be on the pitch. All we know is that it will be interesting. And that’s the only reason we are here.
Must Watch Match: Paris Saint-Germain v Bayern Munich(League 1 king vs Germany king)
Isn’t it just a big match, It’s unquestionably the best aspect of the group to league phase transition.
It’s easy to understand why the two favourites for the 2025–2026 championship will now square off in the repeat of the 2020 lockdown final.
With Harry Kane flying beneath Vincent Kompany, Bayern is currently nine out of nine in the Bundesliga and appears to be as strong as ever, while PSG is unsurprisingly leading Ligue 1. People, let’s be farmers’ leagues.
The match really speaks for us, but like Liverpool and their upcoming week, the outcome might reveal a lot about both teams—more about the victor, perhaps.
Even if Arsenal defeated PSG in the league phase of the previous season before falling to the ultimate victors in the semi-final, losing won’t turn either team into pretenders rather than contenders.
If Bayern were playing at home, you would definitely want them to win, but in Paris? Who knows? All we can hope for is a fun ninety minutes.
It’s difficult to see it being anything but enjoyable given the lack of danger for these two European Goliaths.
Europa game you should not miss: Rangers v AS Roma
This will be brief because rangers have been sneaked in. This season, Roma has been outstanding.
Gian Piero Gasperini, the legendary Atalanta player, took over and stabilised the team with some outstanding outcomes; Sunday’s 1-0 loss to second-place AC Milan was only their third in ten Serie A games.
Gasperini’s team plays a despondent Rangers team at Ibrox in the Europa League, where they have only won one game and lost two.
That’s not as terrible as the bottom-of-the-line Rangers, who were battered 4-0 against Brann in their first game under new manager Danny Rohl.
This is Rohl’s biggest test to date, despite the crushing loss to Brann and falling 3-1 after extra time against Celtic in the League Cup semifinal.
If the fans are behind the man in the dugout, which they are for the time being, there’s nothing like a thrilling Thursday night at Ibrox.
We should witness one of those memorable Ibrox nights or a comfortable evening for Roma. It’s a must-watch football game any way.
EFL game to observe: Coventry vs Sheffield United (The Championship Goliaths)
Given the Championship, Coventry’s season-opening loss will likely be followed by a terrible run of play, with Frank Lampard being questioned just weeks after he was the greatest thing ever.
It’s exactly the way that insane league operates. After 12 Championship games, Coventry was undefeated, which is an incredibly impressive start to the season.
However, the division is unrelenting, and even a home game against an unexpected Sheffield United team feels like a potential banana peel.
Kieffer Moore’s hat-trick from a 1-0 deficit gave Wrexham its fourth league victory of the year. Really, anything is achievable.
The Blades are on a two-match losing streak after winning three of their last five games after Chris Wilder’s return, but they can potentially secure their fourth victory of the season on Tuesday night.
It may be a thrashing as Coventry recovers from Friday night’s drama at the Racecourse Ground because they are leaking goals for joy and they have already scored an absurd 36 goals this season.
Manager to observe: Thomas Frank (Tottenham Hotspur Coach)
Following a lacklustre home loss to London rivals Chelsea on Saturday, Thomas Frank’s Tottenham Hotspur are being questioned.
A video of Djed Spence and Micky van de Ven ignoring their manager following the full-time whistle has surfaced on social media.
Even though it was simply two football players becoming upset after losing a crucial game, it wasn’t a nice look and conveyed all the wrong emotions.
It’s great news that it’s already water under the bridge before Spurs’ Champions League encounter against FC Copenhagen, which is highly likely to be won.
Although Spurs were given an incredibly beautiful league phase schedule, their home victory over Villarreal followed by fortunate draws at Bodo/Glimt and AS Monaco is a rather disappointing, if undefeated, start.
Frank is under pressure to make Spurs appear like a dynamic team, and figuring out how to make the most of Xavi Simons’ £51 million summer acquisition would be beneficial.
Frank’s team has a tonne of attacking talent, but we haven’t really seen anything to support that claim yet.
He also needs to address his team’s bewilderingly poor home form. It’s encouraging to be sixth in the Premier League after ten games under the former Brentford manager, but defeating Wolves at home ought to be your main priority.
With one victory from five games this season, Spurs are ranked 17th in the home standings; but, when they play away from their stunning stadium, they are at the top with four victories and one draw.
Copenhagen is the Wolves of the competition, yet they are undoubtedly a strong team, good enough to qualify for the Champions League.
If Spurs don’t easily defeat the Danes on Tuesday, they will be ruining the most advantageous league phase draw imaginable.
