One of the reasons why Mbappé does not play in his preferred position is that Ancelotti can deploy Vinicius Jr on the left and Jude Bellingham on the right.

Bellingham, like Mbappe, has struggled to create the form he is capable of and in 13 games in all competitions this season he has scored just two goals.

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

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

“At the moment Jude Bellingham is doing a lot of defensive and attacking work,” says 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 flown this season.

The Brazilian forward scored twelve goals in sixteen games, including a hat-trick in the 4-0 win against Osasuna on November 9.

And Liverpool fans will be relieved to see him out of Wednesday’s game with a hamstring injury as they won’t forget his performance at Anfield last year when he sparked a comeback for Real Madrid after being two goals down with the first two strikes in five matches. -2 win.

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