Salah has been in phenomenal form for Liverpool, racking up the most goals for the Reds this season – 12 in total.

He has registered three or more shots in 14 out of 16 starts in all competitions under Arne Slot, averaging 3.06 shots per game which is the highest in the squad.

When these sides faced off at Anfield in the 2022/23 Round of 16, Salah managed three shots at Anfield in a 5-2 loss, before drawing a blank at the Bernabeu.

However, the complexion of Real’s starting XI has changed significantly since then, and they will be without key defensive players on Wednesday night.

That should work massively to the advantage of Liverpool, and Salah, who comes into this after scoring a brace against Southampton.

Conor Bradley was handed his first league start under Arne Slot in the previous game against Southampton with Trent Alexander-Arnold ruled out through injury.

In that game, he was heavily involved defensively, completing two out of four tackles. That was even despite picking up an early yellow card in the first half.

Bradley made two fouls against Aston Villa after replacing Trent Alexander-Arnold in the first half. He defends with a lot of aggression, and is extremely willing to duel. Bradley is tasked with covering a lot of ground on the right flank to support Salah, which can often find him caught out of position.

He is now set for a tough matchup on Wednesday night against the likes of Kylian Mbappe and Brahim Diaz.

Real Madrid have seen over 2.5 goals land in each of their last six games in all competitions.

Carlo Ancelotti operated with a makeshift backline against Leganes last time out, with Fede Valverde at right back and 21-year-old Raul Asencio at centre back, making his first start of the season.

Diogo Jota is the only absentee for Liverpool, who come into this clash in fantastic form, most recently annihilating Bayer Leverkusen 4-0 in front of a home crowd.

However, the Reds most recently conceded twice to Southampton, who sit bottom of the Premier League. Despite being much more watertight under Arne Slot, Liverpool have often shown vulnerabilities on the break, which can be exploited.

In the absence of Vinicius Jr due to injury, Mbappe is set to take on a large portion of the attacking burden, and will be key to Real Madrid’s chances of success. He will also be the designated penalty taker.

Since completing his move from Paris, Mbappe is averaging 5.1 shots per 90 for Los Blancos, landing this selection in 15 out of 16 games.

Mbappe has started just one game without Vinicius this season, against Espanyol. In that match, the Frenchman accumulated nine shots, with six on target.

Expecting Liverpool to dominate possession at Anfield, Mbappe will look to be effective on the break. With his intense speed in transition, he certainly has the tools to exploit this Liverpool rearguard.

Luis Diaz was afforded some rest on the weekend, as he made a 28-minute appearance from the bench at St Mary’s. In that time, he racked up three shots, with one on target.

The Colombian has been in excellent form recently, scoring a hat-trick last time out in the Champions League as Liverpool picked apart Bayer Leverkusen in the second half.

Expecting Real Madrid to sit deep and look to counter, Luis Diaz is always a target for shots. His dribbling proficiency means he has the ability to fashion shooting chances on his own, particularly when cutting in from the left-wing.

Diaz is averaging 2.66 shots per 90 for Liverpool this season in all competitions, with 1.38 on target.

Eduardo Camavinga has become a crucial player for Carlo Ancelotti, with Aurelien Tchouameni missing the last couple of games with an ankle injury. Because of that, Camavinga played the full 90 against both Osasuna and Leganes.

He is expected once again to occupy a role in the Real double pivot alongside Luka Modric.

He has made just eight appearances in all competitions this season, drawing two or more fouls in six of those, averaging 2.94 fouls won per 90. That is actually slightly higher than Vinicius Jr (2.84 fouls won per 90).

He will find duels against the likes of Alexis Mac Allister and Ryan Gravenberch in midfield, an ideal matchup especially as Liverpool press strongly.

Ibrahima Konate will likely be tasked with trying to contain the rapid Mbappe, given that he is generally the aggressor in his pairing with Virgil van Dijk.

Konate might have a better understanding of, and have more experience dealing with Mbappe given that they are international team-mates, but it is set to be a tough night.

Mbappe has drawn exactly three fouls in his last two games against Osasuna and Leganes, respectively.

With Vinicius ruled out, that should only give Mbappe more of the ball, to involve Konate in duels as much as possible.

Konate made three fouls the last time he faced Real Madrid, and he now draws an extremely tough matchup against the Los Blancos forward line.

Jude Bellingham got on the scoresheet last time out against Leganes, scoring the third and final goal of the game before being substituted.

That goal means he has now scored in back-to-back games for Los Blancos.

Bellingham also started in that game against Espanyol without Vinicius Jr, and he registered a season-high four shots, with two on target. The absence of the Brazilian should only work to benefit Bellingham.

The former Dortmund man registered a shot on target in his only Champions League away game this term, with one against Lille.

As Real sit 18th in the Champions League, they will need to push for victory at Anfield – Bellingham will be looking to score in three successive games to extend his good form.