3 in-depth ways Liverpool can shut down Real Madrid star Kylian Mbappe

Liverpool have had many huge games against Real Madrid in recent years. They were a familiar foe for Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool, defeating the Reds in the 2018 and 2022 Champions League finals, and knocking the Reds out of the competition in 2021 and 2023.

If Arne Slot wants to end Liverpool’s eight-game winless run against Madrid, he will need to foil the new weapon in Madrid’s armoury, Kylian Mbappe. Here’s how.

Play the Liverpool Way

First and foremost, Liverpool might just choose to do the simple thing and play their own game.

After all, the Reds have won every game in the Champions League so far, and are eight points clear at the top of the Premier League.

The Anfield crowd too will likely be a factor, bolstering the home team even further.

Mbappe too might feel quite lonely up at the top, as Real Madrid suffer an injury crisis. Fellow forwards Rodrygo and Vinicius Junior are out with injury, as well as some of the supporting cast in Dani Carvajal and Aurelien Tchouameni.

Mbappe has largely played through the middle this season, with Vinicius playing out on the left, but with wonderkid Endrick likely coming in for this game, the Frenchman could move out to that side.

The individual battle

Dependent on where Mbappe plays, it will be important for whoever is in the Liverpool defence to own the task and stand up to him.

If Mbappe does what Vinicius has been doing for most of the season, and plays on the left, it will be up to either Conor Bradley or Trent Alexander-Arnold to face him primarily.

A deliberate quirk of Arne Slot’s system entails that the defensive midfielder on that side is able to help more than under the latter days of Jurgen Klopp.

Trent has struggled in the past up against a Real Madrid left-winger, Vinicius Junior, but the Scouser could still be sidelined for this game.

In that case, it would be up to young Conor Bradley to stop one of the greatest forwards in the world, and that would be a lot to ask.

If Mbappe plays through the middle, that would likely play into Liverpool’s hands. With the best centre-back pairing in Europe right now Ibrahima Konate and Virgil van Dijk playing for Liverpool, Mbappe could be in for a tricky night by his standards.

Tailored tactics

Every manager at the top level has a good grasp of the intricacies of the tactical element in football.

Wednesday night pits two of the best against each other, and if Slot tailors Liverpool’s approach for Mbappe, it could lock the two managers into a game of tactical chess.

After Liverpool’s 3-0 win at Manchester United in September, Slot was candid about finding tactical weakness in Erik ten Hag’s system after the game. He altered slightly how Liverpool’s midfield behaved for maximum results.

Arne Slot could tweak Liverpool’s system dependent on where Mbappe plays to get a defensive midfielder to help out more whoever is marking him. It could well be that Slot identifies a weakness in Mbappe’s game and tries to pounce.

Due to Mbappe’s speed, it would be reasonable to suggest putting him in traffic is the best way of dealing with him.

Whatever happens, it is important to expect the unexpected, Mbappe has been through some tumult already under the intense spotlight in Madrid, and is seen to have struggled with the transition to the Santiago Bernabeu.

It is important too to expect the unexpected with Real Madrid and Carlo Ancelotti, who is a really bright manager, and will always have something up his sleeve.

Liverpool need to rise above it to overcome it, and it is a great time to get one over them.