Trent Alexander-Arnold will be on the bench in his grand return to Anfield as Real Madrid take on Liverpool in the Champions League.
The Spanish giants are proceeding with caution when it comes to Alexander-Arnold. The England international has not played in seven weeks after suffering a hamstring injury on Sept. 16.
Alexander-Arnold returned to training with Real Madrid after the October international window and made Xabi Alonso’s squad for matches against Barcelona and Valencia. Yet the fullback did not log a single minute in either clash.
Alonso, therefore, opted against throwing the recently recovered Alexander-Arnold into his starting XI against Liverpool. After such a lengthy spell on the sidelines, the 26-year-old is still working his way to full match fitness.
The decision to instead start Federico Valverde makes for a lackluster return to Merseyside for Alexander-Arnold, who spent 20 years at his boyhood club before joining Real Madrid this summer. The former Red can still make an appearance off the bench, though, and play his first minutes at Anfield in a white shirt.
