Real Madrid will head into Tuesday night’s Champions League tie against Liverpool full of confidence after thrashing Valencia 4-0 over the weekend.Xabi Alonso’s side extended their advantage at the top of LaLiga to seven points after goals from Alvaro Carreras and Jude Bellingham added to Kylian Mbappe’s first-half brace at the Santiago Bernabeu on Saturday night.The Frenchman could have had a hat-trick inside 45 minutes if he hadn’t allowed Vinicius Jr to take a penalty after a foul on Carreras.However the Brazilian was unable to put an end to his recent struggles in front of goal, as his spot-kick was saved by Julen Agirrezabala. In the heat of the moment, Alonso could not hide his emotion, cutting a frustrated figure when the forward’s effort was saved.Speaking after the match, and just days after the pair were involved in a heated touchline disagreement during El Clasico, the Spaniard downplayed the incident, saying it was “no big deal” despite admitting he would have preferred Mbappe to have taken responsibility again.Nevertheless, Real have won 10 out of 11 games in LaLiga this season, with the only blemish on an otherwise perfect record coming when they lost 5-2 to Atletico Madrid in September.They are also one of five teams that boast a 100 percent record in the Champions League‘s league phase, with three wins from three.Interestingly, Alonso opted to start Federico Valverde at right-back against Valencia, which could spell bad news for Trent Alexander-Arnold ahead of his return to Anfield on Tuesday.The England international has had a slow start to his career in the Spanish capital after he was sidelined for six games due to a hamstring injury he sustained against Marseille in September.Alexander-Arnold had appeared set to start the fixture against his former club when Dani Carvajal picked up another long-term injury.But since returning to fitness for last weekend’s 2-1 win against Barcelona, Alexander-Arnold has not made it onto the pitch for Los Blancos.That’s largely down to Valverde who, since signing for Real Madrid nearly a decade ago, has been used as a Swiss Army Knife by coaches past and present and often required to plug gaps in defence, midfield and attack.Asked about the Uruguayan’s performance against Valencia, Alonso said: “We can all see how well-rounded he is and the level at which he’s playing.“With the ball, he has the soul of a midfielder and is very powerful offensively. Since he started playing, his level has been increasing and we know that he is a complete player.“Due to the needs of the team, he has played as a full-back and is still playing really well.”But it’s not all good news for the 15-time European champions, who could be without attacker Arda Guler for the trip to Anfield after he was withdrawn at half-time of Saturday’s game with an ankle injury.Real will definitely be without defenders David Alaba and Antonio Rudiger, who Alonso confirmed are still some way off returning to action along with Carvajal.They of course still head to England with a whole host of superstars, including Mbappe, Bellingham and Vinicius Jr.However it is former Man United and Preston defender Carreras who has been one of the surprise stars of the campaign.The 22-year-old has started 13 out of a possible 14 games at left-back for the Spaniards this season, after rejoining the club from Benfica in July.