"Never thought I'd see the day", "Let us eat for once" - Liverpool fans delighted as Arne Slot drops key player for Florian Wirtz

Liverpool fans on social media are delighted to see Arne Slot drop Cody Gakpo from the starting XI. The Reds faithful believe Florian Wirtz is the best option for the left wing and will shine against Real Madrid in the UEFA Champions League.

Giorgi Mamardashvili keeps his place between the posts, as Alisson is still out injured.

Conor Bradley starts at right back, with Andy Robertson on the left, and Ibrahima Konate and Virgil van Dijk in the middle.

Ryan Gravenberch, Alexis Mac Allister, and Dominik Szoboszlai are the midfielders once again, with Curtis Jones making the bench. Mohamed Salah starts on the right flank, Florian Wirtz on the left, and Hugo Ekitike leading the attack.

Many Liverpool fans are happy with the starting XI and believe that it is the ideal team to face Real Madrid. They posted:

Arne Slot spoke about Wirtz in the press conference before the Real Madrid game and said:

"You can say he started one out of the last four, you can also say he already started eight, nine, 10 or 11 games this season. I've said this quite a lot, not being used as an excuse, but just telling it how it is. Many times we've had to play three games in seven days, only two days rest in between." "For a player that comes from a different league, which is a very good league by the way, but I think nine out of ten people would agree that the Premier League is a bit more intense, especially in all the games. Then, if you look at that, then he already played a lot, and he's had his impact in many games, but has been unlucky with the end product, either by himself or his teammates."

Liverpool got back to winning ways in the Premier League with a 2-0 win over Aston Villa on Saturday, November 1.

Liverpool without three key players for the game against Real Madrid

Arne Slot spoke about his Liverpool squad ahead of the Real Madrid game, revealing that they will be without three key players. He ruled out Alisson, Jeremie Frimpong, and Alexander Isak from the match and said:

"All three are unavailable for tomorrow. Jeremie and Alisson will also not be available for Sunday, and with Alex, we have to wait and see. Definitely not starting on Sunday, but maybe he can be involved in the squad, but he's still not training with the team, so we have to wait and see."

Liverpool are 10th in the Champions League table ahead of kick off, while Real Madrid are fifth.

Edited by Sripad