Dutch Liverpool coach Arne Slot said that his Spanish counterpart Xabi Alonso is "doing a great job" at Real Madrid, similar to his predecessor, Italian coach Carlo Ancelotti, ahead of their Champions League group stage clash.
After having a distinguished playing career in Liverpool's midfield, Alonso began his coaching career at Bayer Leverkusen from 2022 to 2025, winning the league and cup double, before taking over his former club Real Madrid this season, succeeding Ancelotti.
Slot said on the eve of facing Real Madrid: "Xabi Alonso is doing a great job, and Carlo Ancelotti did the same and won many titles." He added, "I saw Real Madrid perform very well last season, and I see them repeat that this season."
Real Madrid won 13 of their first 14 matches this season under Alonso, who is 43 years old and was a Champions League winner in 2005 with Liverpool.
Alonso returns to Anfield on Tuesday accompanied by another former Liverpool star who played until the end of last season before moving to Real Madrid, Trent Alexander-Arnold.
Alonso commented: "Trent and I have our history here. It's great to return to a place where we were very loved. But we are here to focus on our playing style and achieving a good result."
The Basque coach said he will try to control his emotions Tuesday, explaining that he learned "a lot about football at the highest level" during his five years at Liverpool.
He added: "That is what allowed me to be who I am today. And if you love football, you love playing here."
In the Champions League, Liverpool beat Real Madrid 2-0 at Anfield last season during the unified group stage.
Slot said: "It's hard to compare. They had many injuries last year, which is not the case now. They have kept a large part of their squad. I noticed many similarities with last season."
Unlike Real Madrid, Liverpool won 2-0 against Aston Villa in the Premier League on Saturday after suffering six losses in seven games (five away and two at home).
During this tough period, "we almost always played almost away," Slot said, adding: "Anfield showed its importance to the team on Saturday and I hope the fans repeat that on Tuesday."
Slot confirmed the absence of Brazilian goalkeeper Alisson, Dutch fullback Jeremy Frimpong, and Swedish striker Alexander Isak due to injury, hoping they will be ready for Sunday’s Premier League match against Manchester City.
He added: "I don't think about the Sunday match when choosing the lineup for the next day. There are four days between the two matches."
This sums up the key points of the interview and comments made by Arne Slot regarding Xabi Alonso and the upcoming Real Madrid vs. Liverpool Champions League match.
