Will Trent Alexander-Arnold return to Liverpool in 2026? Reds fans await news

Liverpool could face Real Madrid star Trent Alexander-Arnold at Anfield again this season as the Champions League last-16 draw on Friday shapes potential routes to the final

Trent Alexander-Arnold has endured a difficult first season at Real Madrid(Image: Getty Images)

Liverpool's path toward the Champions League's final stages and a possible encounter with ex-Anfield favorite Trent Alexander-Arnold is becoming clearer.

The Reds have already secured their spot in the last 16 after finishing third in the league phase. Their next opponents will be either Atletico Madrid or Galatasaray, with confirmation of their route to the final expected after Friday's draw.

Alexander-Arnold's Real Madrid progressed to the Champions League last-16 following a 3-1 aggregate victory over Jose Mourinho's Benfica on Wednesday, with Alexander-Arnold featuring for the entire match. Should Liverpool be paired with the Turkish side, the Reds could find themselves on track to meet Madrid, potentially clashing in the semifinals.

If Liverpool draws Atletico instead, the tantalizing possibility of the Reds facing Los Blancos in Budapest's final becomes feasible.

Regardless of Liverpool's opponent, Alexander-Arnold may well line up against his old club again this season, provided both teams reach at least the semifinal stage.

Liverpool and Madrid had previously clashed in this season's Champions League, with the Reds securing a 1-0 victory at Anfield during the league stage. Alexander-Arnold probably didn't anticipate such a swift return to his ex-club after his summer switch to Madrid.

Alexander-Arnold could face Liverpool again this season(Image: Getty Images)

Given the 27-year-old's controversial exit from Anfield, the welcome he received upon his return in November was fairly predictable. The defender started on the substitutes' bench for Madrid. Following Liverpool's opening goal, the atmosphere intensified, and the home supporters made their feelings known when Alexander-Arnold entered the fray with 10 minutes left to play.

The England international has been rotating the right-back position with Madrid veteran Dani Carvajal and was sidelined for a portion of the La Liga campaign due to injury. His place among the substitutes at Anfield wasn't unexpected.

The former Liverpool favorite was predominantly met with jeers as he stepped onto the pitch. Supporters then chanted about club icon Steven Gerrard and Alexander-Arnold's successor at right-back, Conor Bradley, in a pointed message to their former star.

Following his departure from Liverpool, Alexander-Arnold acknowledged he understood the perspective of supporters who couldn't comprehend his decision to leave his boyhood club.

"I completely understand the feelings that go with that [leaving Liverpool] and I've felt it myself so I completely understand that the news will disappoint a lot of people, will anger people, it will make them upset," he said after making his decision to join Madrid.

"Obviously that went into the decision as well – it's something you don't want to do, you don't want to ever have these moments where you feel like you're letting a lot of people down, you're disappointing a lot of people.

"But I've had to make a decision for me, it's as simple as that. I know the news will take a bit of time to set in and people won't be happy and they'll be disappointed. At the end of the day, you can be angry and hurt at me, but I just hope that the lads, the rest of the team, the staff, everyone else is able to feel how good a season this has been."

It seems probable that Liverpool would prefer to steer clear of Madrid in this year's knock-out stages, given their recent encounters. Liverpool lost to Madrid in the 2018 and 2022 Champions League finals. Yet plans appear to be developing for a dramatic reunion between Alexander-Arnold and his former club.