Champions League: Do Liverpool have their best chance of beating Real Madrid in 15 years?

One of the reasons Mbappe is not playing in his preferred position is so Ancelotti can deploy Vinicius Jr on the left and Jude Bellingham on the right.

Bellingham, like Mbappe, is struggling to produce the sort of form he is capable of and in 13 games across all competitions this season he has managed just two goals.

Those two strikes have come in his last two games, suggesting he could be finding his form after a slow start to the season, which had already been disrupted by injury.

But it is in stark contrast to his incredible start to his debut campaign at Real last year, when he hit 11 goals in his first 12 appearances for the club.

“At the moment Jude Bellingham is doing a lot of defensive and offensive work,” said European football expert Mina Rzouki.

“There needs to be a better balance in midfield.”

But while Bellingham and Mbappe are yet to find their best form, Vinicius Jr has been flying this season.

The Brazil forward has scored 12 goals in 16 appearances, including a hat-trick in a 4-0 win against Osasuna on 9 November.

And Liverpool fans will be relieved to see he is out of Wednesday’s game with a hamstring injury because they won’t forget his performance at Anfield last year, when he sparked a Real Madrid comeback from two goals down with the first two strikes in a 5-2 win.

In total he has scored five goals against the Reds and four in this Champions League campaign already, making him a huge loss for Real.