English champions Liverpool are going through a turbulent period this autumn, marked by six defeats in their last eight matches. The Reds face a significant challenge this week, taking on two giants of European football, starting with Kylian Mbappé's Real Madrid this Tuesday, November 4, 2025 (9:00 PM) in the Champions League.

This week looks set to be decisive for the Merseyside club: after the Spanish giant, currently imperious in La Liga with its French striker, Liverpool will host Manchester City and the unstoppable Erling Haaland in the Premier League on Sunday.

The foundations aren't very solid for tackling this dizzying run of games, even though the Reds managed to stem the bleeding last weekend with a convincing 2-0 victory against Aston Villa. Captain and centre-back Virgil van Dijk hadn't kept a clean sheet since mid-September, a long period that has drawn harsh criticism .

“We live in a world where everyone can give their opinion on numerous platforms and where everyone thinks they know everything better than everyone else,” the Dutchman retorted, annoyed by the lack of nuance among observers. “Last season, we sometimes did some not-so-great things, but everything was rosy, everywhere. Now, it seems like we’re going to have to fight to avoid relegation (from the Premier League), that’s how the world works these days,” he declared.

The full-back, who arrived in 2017 and won everything with Liverpool, has rarely experienced such an acute and rapid slump in results. From the end of September to the end of October, his team suffered six defeats in seven matches across all competitions, displaying alarming defensive fragility .

On Tuesday, the Reds will have to contain Real Madrid's attack led by Mbappé , currently joint top scorer in the Champions League (5 goals, the same as Harry Kane), and his talented teammates Vinicius Junior, Arda Güler, and Jude Bellingham . On Sunday, it will be the turn of Haaland, Rayan Cherki, Jérémy Doku, and Phil Foden .

What kind of performance will Liverpool show in these two matches? Against Aston Villa, "it wasn't perfect, but it was much better," summarized former England striker Alan Shearer. "That game looked like the Liverpool we know. Let's hope for them that this is the start of a return to form."

⚽ The Anfield Reunion

The path to recovery lies in a positive result against Real Madrid , the current La Liga leaders with a comfortable advantage. The Merengues have been transformed under the guidance of Xabi Alonso , the former Liverpool star who succeeded Carlo Ancelotti at the end of last season.

With the 43-year-old coach at the helm, Real Madrid has "forged a new identity" and "now dominates, stifles, and subdues its opponent," as highlighted by the sports daily Marca . Xabi Alonso, now one of the most sought-after coaches in the world, hopes his return to Anfield will go better than last year, when he suffered a resounding 4-0 defeat with Bayer Leverkusen.

Right-back Trent Alexander-Arnold , the former Anfield darling who transferred to Real Madrid this summer after two decades with the Reds, will make his first return to his old stadium. However, having just returned from a month and a half sidelined with injury, he is not expected to start against his boyhood club.

On the injury front, Liverpool will be without striker Alexander Isak , full-back Jeremie Frimpong and goalkeeper Alisson , who has been sidelined since the end of September.