Football

5 matches, Real Madrid at Anfield & MORE internationals – Liverpool FC in November

Published

1d ago

Nov 03, 2024 / 8081 Views

Evan Walker

Liverpool head into November in good form but with a busy month ahead that includes two tough Champions League games and another international break.

The Reds enjoyed a successful October overall, finishing the month second in the Premier League one point adrift of Man City, as well as winning twice in the Champions League.

In the Carabao Cup, Arne Slot‘s side won 3-2 at Brighton on Wednesday evening, making it into the quarter-finals where they will face Southampton at St Mary’s Stadium.

It’s now time to focus on November, with a string of big matches again on the horizon.

Here are the key dates to know ahead of the coming month…

November 2 – Brighton (H)

After the cup meeting with Brighton in midweek, it’s Liverpool turn to host on Saturday, this time in the league.

This is the bigger Game of the two, and with Man City and Arsenal facing banana skins away at Newcastle and Bournemouth respectively this weekend, victory is paramount.

Fabian Hurzeler’s Brighton side are a dangerous outfit, though, sitting sixth in the league and winning at St James’ Park last month.

Liverpool have to back themselves to be too strong for the Seagulls, should they have genuine title aspirations in 2024/25.

November 5 – Bayer Leverkusen (H)

Liverpool have a 100 per cent record in the Champions League this season, winning all three Games, but this is their biggest test yet.

Xabi Alonso will make an emotional return to Anfield with his Bayer Leverkusen side, fresh off the back of their Bundesliga title win.

Leverkusen aren’t firing on all cylinders as much as last term – they are five points adrift of Bayern Munich and RB Leipzig – but they will still pose a big threat.

Star man Florian Wirtz has been linked with a move to Liverpool in the recent past, so the German attacking ace will be one to watch.

November 9 – Aston Villa (H)

After Leverkusen comes another taxing Anfield clash, this time a Saturday night visit of Aston Villa on November 9.

Unai Emery’s side have shown what a force they can be over the past year, sealing Champions League quailification and now even topping the entire group in this season’s competition.

This feels like a potentially sticky night for Liverpool if they aren’t at their best, but the Anfield crowd should be in boisterous late-night spirits.

Much like the Brighton Game, you have to win matches of this ilk to become champions.

International break – November 11-20

Yes, you read that correctly, there’s another international break coming up!

The third domestic stoppage of the season comes after the Villa game, but thankfully, it’s the final one until March.

There will be more UEFA Nations League games on show, as well as 2026 World Cup and AFCON qualifiers, as Slot prays that his international players avoid injury.

November 24 – Southampton (A)

After the players return from representing their respective countries, Liverpool head to struggling Southampton on November 24.

The fact that it is a Sunday Game is a bonus for Slot, in terms of South Americans returning later in the week, and this is a must-win Game.

As things stand, Southampton are still without a win in the Premier League, propping up the rest of the table, and Russell Martin’s bold style of play could work in Liverpool’s favour.

Failure to win at St Mary’s would feel disastrous.

November 27 – Real Madrid (H)

November finishes with a bang as Champions League holders Real Madrid make the trip to Anfield.

The Reds have suffered so much misery against the La Liga giants in recent years, losing two Champions League finals (2018 and 2022) and also being dumped out of the tournament by them twice, in 2020/21 and 2022/23.

Revenge will be in the air when Liverpool take on Madrid this time and Anfield will be at its raucous best for a huge occasion.

Carlo Ancelotti’s side have world-class players everywhere you look, from Kylian Mbappe to Vinicius Jr, but a recent 4-0 home defeat to rivals Barcelona shows they can be vulnerable.

Plenty of eyes will be on Trent Alexander-Arnold, amid rumours of a move to Madrid next summer.