The 2025/26 UEFA Champions League will see its fourth round of matches, with Liverpool hosting La Liga giants Real Madrid at Anfield. Sloot stated that Wirtz, who joined the Reds this season, has already been able to make an impact on the pitch, but still needs some time to adapt to the new league and its intensity.

In an earlier Premier League match, Liverpool defeated Aston Villa 2-0 thanks to goals from Salah and Hrafinbeh, ending their losing streak and giving them a boost before their match against Real Madrid.

However, Liverpool will face a tough match against Manchester City in the next round of the Premier League, so they will face some challenges in arranging their lineup.

Liverpool manager Sloot said, "The next Premier League game won't affect tomorrow's lineup because I think there are four days of rest in between. We've had many situations with only two days between games this season, like tomorrow, but tomorrow might be the first time this season that our opponent is in the same situation."

"So there are many times when we have two days of rest before another game, while our opponents have a week, three days, or four days of rest. But tomorrow the situation is exactly the same for both sides, so tomorrow's lineup has nothing to do with the next game. The good thing is that we won before, but I have to say, it's time to win another game."

It's worth mentioning that Trent Alexander-Arnold, who played for Liverpool for many years, will have the opportunity to represent Real Madrid at Anfield.

We will warmly welcome Arnold back to Anfield.

Slott said, "I can only tell you how he will be received from me. I have very good memories of the player and him. He was our vice-captain, and he was my vice-captain last season. All my memories of working with him are very positive, and the same goes for watching him play on TV."

“I’ll remember many great moments he had in a Liverpool shirt, so I’ll definitely give him a warm welcome. We’ll see if he shows up tomorrow and how our fans react. I don’t know, but I’ll definitely give him a warm welcome.”

Speaking about Real Madrid, Sloth said, "It's hard for me to compare this game to last season. As I've said, they came here last season with a lot of injuries, but not now, and the squad is much more complete. I see a lot of similarities. Xabi Alonso did a great job at Real Madrid, but so did Ancelotti. They've added new players, which might affect their style of play in some details, but what I saw last season was a very strong Real Madrid, and what I see now is the same."

Furthermore, in the third round of the Champions League, Liverpool defeated Eintracht Frankfurt 5-1 after goals from Ektiik, Van Dijk, Konaté, Gakopo, and Szoboszlai, with Wirtz contributing two assists in the match.

Sloot said, "You could say Wirtz has only started one of the last four games, but you could also say he's started eight to eleven games this season. I've said this many times, and this isn't an excuse, just telling you the reality: we often play three games in seven days with only two days of rest in between. For a player from another league—but by the way, it's a very strong league, and I think nine out of ten people would agree that the Premier League is generally more intense."

"He has been impactful in many games, but he's been a bit unlucky at crucial moments, both for himself and his teammates. From my perspective, he has brought what we expect, creating a lot of chances for the team and scoring goals. But for a 22 or 23-year-old player coming from another league, playing every three days with only two days of rest, it takes some time to adapt to this intensity, which is not surprising."

Slot continued, "I think Hrafenbech sat here before I did, and it took him a while to get used to the intensity, maybe even longer than it took Wirtz."