Carlo, Pep head to lion's den

Look out for cash-boosted TAB soccer pools galore and several explosive matches this weekend, but before that there's great football on the menu and plenty of cash to be won on TAB soccer bets, including an enthralling clash between Liverpool and Spanish champions Real Madrid tonight.

- Mark Gleeson

Liverpool's meeting tonight with Real Madrid in the UEFA Champions League comes at a time of contrasting fortunes for two of the giants of the game.

Liverpool have hardly put a foot wrong this season with new manager Arne Slot making a near perfect start. They have opened an eight-point gap at the top of the English Premier League with a third of the season already completed.

Real Madrid have not made as smooth a start to the season. They have had to contend with injuries - Eder Militao and Dani Carvajal are out for the season and David Alaba is not yet ready to return from a serious knee injury - and they suffered back-to-back defeats a few weeks ago, including a 4-0 hiding from Barcelona. Real, however, have scored seven goals without reply in their last two La Liga games and are now just four points behind Barca in La Liga with a game in hand.