Liverpool travels to Madrid for the second leg of their Champions League last-16 match on Wednesday night, where they will play Real Madrid.
Team Form
Real Madrid
The Anfield crowd was sent into a frenzy when Darwin Nunez and Mohamed Salah scored, with the latter receiving some help from Thibaut Courtois’ knee. However, Carlo Ancelotti, the opposing team’s manager, remained stoic despite his side’s early mistakes, which only made their eventual seven-goal victory more impressive.
After their impressive win, the reigning La Liga champions failed to win in their three following domestic games, including a loss to Barcelona in the first leg of their Copa del Rey semi-final.
However, they bounced back with a 3-1 victory over Espanyol, with Vinicius and Militao finding the back of the net again alongside Marco Asensio. Despite their recent struggles, Real Madrid remains nine points behind Barcelona, who currently lead the league significantly.
Real Madrid Form (All Competitions): W D L D W
Liverpool
Liverpool will be hoping for a repeat of their impressive 7-0 win against Manchester United at Anfield, which would undoubtedly go down in history as the most extraordinary PL result.
However, the Reds will need to put their recent disappointing performance behind them, as they suffered a shock defeat to Bournemouth in their last outing.
Their defeat on the South Coast allowed Tottenham Hotspur to widen the gap in the race for fourth place in the Premier League table. Therefore, Liverpool’s first step towards salvation on Wednesday would be to prioritize a stunning Champions League comeback.
Despite their first-leg defeat, manager Jurgen Klopp has refused to give up, and his team will be looking to overturn their deficit in style.
Liverpool Form (All Competitions): L D W W L
Squad Report
Real Madrid
Real Madrid will have Karim Benzema back in the starting lineup for their second-leg clash against Liverpool at Anfield. The French striker missed their recent game against Espanyol as a precaution due to an ankle injury, but he has since rejoined his teammates for full training.
Left-back Ferland Mendy is also expected to return for Real Madrid after missing the first leg.
However, David Alaba is set to miss out due to a thigh issue he picked up in the first leg, which is a blow for Carlo Ancelotti’s side.
Liverpool
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp will have to make do without several key players for their second-leg clash against Real Madrid at the Bernabeu. Luis Diaz, Thiago Alcantara, Calvin Ramsay, and Joe Gomez are all expected to miss out, with Diaz potentially returning to team training but only being considered for selection after the international break.
Meanwhile, midfielder Naby Keita is a doubt for the match after picking up a knock, which adds to Liverpool’s injury concerns.
Arthur did make an appearance on the bench in their last game against Bournemouth following thigh surgery, but it remains to be seen whether he will feature in this crucial Champions League tie.
Real Madrid’s predicted starting lineup:
Courtois; Carvajal, Militao, Rudiger, Nacho; Modric, Tchouameni, Kroos; Valverde, Benzema, Vinicius Jr
Liverpool’s predicted starting lineup:
Alisson; Alexander-Arnold, Konate, Van Dijk, Robertson; Fabinho, Henderson; Salah, Jota, Nunez; Gakpo
Head to Head
Real Madrid boasts an impressive track record against Liverpool in the UEFA Champions League, having won six out of the ten matches between the two sides.
On the other hand, Liverpool has only managed to secure three victories against the Spanish giants.
Time, Date & Venue
Date: Wednesday, March 15
Time: 08:00 pm, GMT
Venue: Santiago Bernabeu, Madrid
Prediction
Real Madrid may be cautious as they prepare to face Liverpool in the second leg of their Champions League tie, particularly in light of Barcelona’s dramatic collapse against Liverpool in the 2018/19 season.
However, unlike the Liverpool team, the current crop of players under Klopp does not inspire the same fear in their opponents, especially given their lacklustre away record this season.Ā
