Anfield will carry a different charge on Tuesday, because the homecoming subplot is impossible to ignore. Local lad Trent Alexander‑Arnold returns in white, and the night distills to two questions that matter most: will he play, and what kind of noise will meet him? Real Madrid have won the Champions League a record 15 times, so the moment already arrives wrapped in history.
Real Madrid have named Alexander‑Arnold in their traveling squad, which confirms availability but not his role. He has been working back from a hamstring issue, and recent matchday benches suggest a measured reintroduction. If he starts, Liverpool will likely test his flank early. If he appears after the hour, the volume will swell on sight, a second debut in reverse.
Alexander‑Arnold has already tried to lower the temperature. “I think whichever way I am received is the decision of the fans,” he said. “I will always love the club. I will always be a fan of the club. No matter what, my feelings won’t change towards Liverpool. I have got memories there that will last me a lifetime and no matter how I am received, that won’t change.” It was a calm, deliberate answer, the kind that acknowledges feeling without feeding it.
On the football, the live question is his flank. Liverpool will push runners into that space and ask Luis Díaz or Cody Gakpo to isolate one‑v‑one, while Real trust Federico Valverde’s covering runs and Jude Bellingham’s carry to flip the field. That is the chessboard if he starts. If he is saved for the last half‑hour, expect a more conservative introduction that protects the right side while still offering his delivery.
What the crowd will do
Arne Slot understands how much the audience can move a game at this ground. “I can only tell you what kind of a reception he will get from me. I have great memories of the player and the human being. He was our vice‑captain, he was my vice‑captain last season. I have memories working with him that were only positive and I have memories from when I was watching him in front of the television which are only positive as well. I can remember multiple great moments of him wearing the Liverpool shirt. So, he will get a warm welcome by me. Let’s first wait and see if he’s on the pitch tomorrow and how our fans will react. I have no clue how that’s going to be. But he gets a warm welcome from me, that’s for sure.” Later, his message to supporters was simple: “Show up tomorrow and help us again like you did [on] Saturday.”
That plea lands at a place built for nights like this. Anfield crowds tend to turn the first five minutes into a stress test on visiting touch and temperament. The reception may split between applause for what came before and impatience at how it ended. But the overall effect is the same, a rolling wall of sound that sharpens Liverpool’s press and makes routine instructions hard to hear.
This is where psychology blends into tactics. If Alexander‑Arnold starts, watch the first Liverpool switch of play into the channel behind him and the team’s first set piece on his side. If he is held back, the warm‑up and the fourth official’s board will be the crowd’s ignition points. Either way, Liverpool fans will decide the emotional temperature before the football does.
Real’s approach under Xabi Alonso has been clear, a disciplined shape that lets their stars decide the final third. Jude Bellingham and Kylian Mbappé can quiet a stadium with one touch, which is why Liverpool’s control in midfield and precision on the ball matter as much as volume. Calm sequences break noise. Loose ones feed it.
So, will he play, and how loud will it get? The honest answer is the same for both, probably enough to matter. The likelier scenario is a late cameo, a cut of minutes that reframes the atmosphere and lifts the decibel level again. Whether it turns the match depends on what Liverpool do with the time before it.
