Arne Slot CONFIRMS Liverpool star will face Real Madrid

Arne Slot appears to have confirmed that one Liverpool star will definitely face Real Madrid. That's one major decision sorted.

Liverpool ended their awful Premier League run on Saturday as they beat Aston Villa 2-0 at Anfield. It stops the rot after a run of four consecutive defeats in the top flight and is just their second win in eight fixtures.

A massive one for Liverpool, then. They were desperate to get a win here, especially after resting essentially the entire first-team against Crystal Palace in midweek.

Mo Salah's 250th goal for the club put the Reds on their way, with Ryan Gravenberch popping up for Liverpool's second. It took some fierce rearguard action to keep Villa out but Arne Slot's team got what they were looking for.

Now attention turns to the UEFA Champions League, where Liverpool will face Real Madrid at home. There is no losing streak in that competition, admittedly, as the Reds picked up a 5-1 win at Eintracht Frankfurt last time out.

It is one of the biggest tests Liverpool will face all season, though, and especially as they aim to show that the win over Villa wasn't the anomaly. They'll actually have two of their biggest tests back-to-back as Manchester City are waiting at the Etihad on Sunday.

Arne Slot drops early team news

Slot talked after the game about the impressive performance of Conor Bradley against Villa. The right-back is now the only natural senior option in his position, with Jeremie Frimpong ruled out for the next little while.

That’s a golden opportunity for Bradley, who now has the chance to solidify himself as the first-choice option. It sounds as though he’ll get the chance to do that, too, after impressing against Villa.

“There were a lot of positives to take – also from individual performances, like Conor’s,” Slot said after the win.

"The challenge for him now is to make himself ready, because he's not been used to 90 minutes a lot this season and after two days of rest the next one is coming up.

"So, we have to think about that as well. But for now, your question was, 'Did he play well?' Yes, he played well today.”

That certainly sounds like confirmation that Bradley will play against Real Madrid. Slot doesn’t have too many options, admittedly, but has used Dominik Szoboszlai there in big games, such as against Arsenal.

The Hungarian’s form, however, means he really can’t be moved from the middle where he’s playing to such great effect. Once again, then, Bradley finds himself with an incredible opportunity to lock down a starting role at Liverpool.

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