Real - Liverpool: Waiting for a miracle?
Having won the Champions League six times, Liverpool often bring a fiery spirit to the continental arena. But they always seem to be overwhelmed by Real. Six of the last seven encounters, the victory belonged to the Spanish team, including two finals of the 2017-2018 and 2021-2022 seasons.
Clashing in the 1/8 round this season, Real once again prevailed in the first leg. Although Liverpool soon led 2-0 thanks to Darwin Nunez and Mohamed Salah, the Spanish representative still came upstream, winning 5-2 with a double from Vinicius Junior and Karim Benzema and an Eder Militao goal. Anfield's home ground - Liverpool's solid stronghold in the European arena - collapsed, making them not only at a disadvantage in terms of score, but also suffering a psychological blow before the second leg at the Bernabeu today.
As the away goals rule was dropped from this stage, Liverpool needed a three-goal win to keep their hopes up. This prospect is considered ambiguous, because in 27 away wins from the first leg in the previous Champions League knockout stage, Real was eliminated only once. But Liverpool fans are still optimistic about a miracle like in the semi-finals of the 2019-2020 season - where Jurgen Klopp's teachers and students beat Barca 4-0 in the second leg after losing 0-3 in the first leg.
"Liverpool only have a 1% chance of progressing, but we want to try and try. We are here to play very strong opponents, and will try to win, no matter how difficult. We respect the tournament. and Real, so I'm very eager to get into the game. But Liverpool are really in a difficult situation," coach Klopp admitted at the pre-match press conference.
The defeat in the first leg was the second time in Liverpool history to concede five goals in the Champions League, after a 1-5 loss to Ajax in December 1966. But sad records can continue to come to Klopp's teachers and students if they lose the second leg. To date, Liverpool's heaviest defeat after two European Cup knockout rounds has a four-goal difference, with a score of 3-7 against Ajax in the 1966-1967 European Cup and 2-6 against Spartak Moscow in the 1992 C2 Cup. 1993. If you lose two goals in the second leg, it will be a sad milestone in the history of the Anfield team.
Liverpool is one of four English teams, besides Arsenal, Man City, and Chelsea, that have won at Real. They won 1-0 at the Bernabeu in February 2009, but the last time they were a guest here, Liverpool lost 0-4. Performance also does not support Klopp's teachers and students. Liverpool have won just two of their eight away games in 2023.
Despite winning 7-0 against Man Utd on March 4, Liverpool ran poorly for the match when they lost 0-1 to Bournemouth over the weekend. Meanwhile, Real beat Espanyol 3-1 in the last match. The last defeat of Carlo Ancelotti's teachers and students was in the first leg of the King's Cup semi-final, when they lost 0-1 to Barca on March 3.
"The second leg is more complicated for us than the opponent. Liverpool know they have to give their all from the first minute. But the result in the first leg can make us think. There is no denying that Real Madrid there are more doubts about how to play than Liverpool," Ancelotti was cautious at the pre-match press conference.
Real will welcome two important links back, when Benzema and left-back Ferland Mendy recover from injuries. David Alaba has a thigh injury in the first leg and will sit out. Meanwhile, Liverpool are without Luis Diaz, Thiago Alcantara, Calvin Ramsay, Jordan Henderson and Stefan Bajcetic, but Joe Gomez could return.
