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Real Madrid will not train at Anfield next week, as is often the case for visiting teams in the Champions League, with Xabi Alonso wanting his side to be in Liverpool for as short a period as possible.
Until now, Real Madrid has been one of the few major clubs that still train at the opposition's stadium the day before the game. But this habit will change on Monday, with Alonso keeping his players in Spain to train at home late morning before traveling to Liverpool in the afternoon.
Alonso and one of his players will attend the pre-match press conference at Anfield. UEFA rules stipulate that teams must conduct media duties, though Liverpool's delayed flight before the win at Eintracht Frankfurt mean the Reds' were canceled last time out.
Only Alonso and one player, chosen by the club, will be at the stadium the day before the game. The only Real Madrid manager who has done this before is Jose Mourinho, MARCA reports.
Real Madrid did travel early for its last Champions League away game, against Kairat Almaty. The complexity of the journey to Kazakhstan, though, meant it had to leave on Sunday for the Tuesday fixture.
According to MARCA, after a rest and lunch, Real Madrid will depart for Liverpool at 4pm local time. They will land at 5.35pm local time (one hour behind Spain).
Last time out in La Liga, Real Madrid beat Barcelona by two goals to one. But Alonso had to deal with Vinicius Jr storming down the tunnel after being substituted, where he was reported to have shouted: "Me, it's always me! I'm leaving the team, it's better that I go."
Days after his heated reaction, the Brazilian took to social media and stated: "Today I want to apologize to all the Madridistas for my reaction when I was substituted in the Clasico.
"Just as I have already done in person during today's training, I also want to apologize again to my teammates, the club, and the president.
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"Sometimes passion gets the better of me because I always want to win and help my team. My competitive character stems from the love I feel for this club and everything it represents.
"I promise to keep fighting every second for the good of Real Madrid, as I have done since the first day."
That is an extensive apology, of course, but it was noted that it didn't directly address the manager. Alonso has lots of attacking options to manage, also including the likes of Kylian Mbappe and Rodrygo.
Liverpool.com says: Real Madrid, on recent form, will fancy its chances of getting a win at Anfield. Liverpool could do with putting in a strong performance against Aston Villa to set itself up for a big week that also includes a trip to Manchester City.
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