Alexander Isak's status as Arne Slot prepares Liverpool for MAMMOTH Real Madrid clash

Liverpool take on Real Madrid this Tuesday at Anfield in the UEFA Champions League. But can Alexander Isak play?

Liverpool will host Real Madrid at Anfield this week. It's one of their biggest games of the entire season as the Reds attempt to make a statement.

Arne Slot's team have not found consistency this season, after all. Even when they were winning, the performances weren't as 'clean' as you'd hope and that turned into a run of disastrous form once fortune disappeared.

Two wins from eight matches just isn't good enough. At the same time, the win over Aston Villa has come at exactly the right time and they'll welcome Los Blancos on the back of a victory.

But beating Xabi Alonso's team would be an enormous statement. It would highlight to everyone in football that Liverpool are just in a run of poor form and that they're still more than capable of beating the biggest teams.

Now, that's hardly going to be easy - especially with injuries in the Reds' camp. Alexander Isak is arguably the biggest of those, with Liverpool's record signing having missed the last couple.

Alexander Isak's status

The Liverpool Echo claims Isak is in contention to face Real Madrid. It's not exactly written as likely, let alone certain, but it's possible that he returns from his groin injury for this one.

Whether that translates into a start or not is another matter. We imagine that even if Isak is fit to play, Slot won't risk him from the off - especially when Hugo Ekitike is available.

A super-sub option feels the most likely. Well, ideally, Liverpool win comfortably and don't even need to risk the Swede - but that does feel a little unlikely.

Liverpool will certainly be without Alisson Becker and Jeremie Frimpong. Giovanni Leoni is out for the season, of course, while it remains to be seen if Curtis Jones is able to return for this.

And so Slot will have to battle against injuries regardless. Hopefully, though, he can call on the British record signing, if only for the last half hour or so.

Because this could be the game where Isak truly announces his arrival.

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