Liverpool - Real Madrid with a colossal clash at Anfield
The old friends Liverpool and Real Madrid come to Anfield in their next clash in the Champions League. This time, the classic match is from the first phase of the eliminations in the tournament.
The Merseysiders qualified for the round of 16 after finishing second in Group A, which was topped by Serie A leaders Napoli due to their better goal difference. The European and world club champion won Group F, which also included Celtic, Shakhtar Donetsk and RB Leipzig.
Liverpool and Real last met in the Champions League final in May, when the Merseysiders dominated much of the match, but the Royals eventually won 1-0 thanks to a goal from Vinicius.
Jurgen Klopp's side have been knocked out at this stage of the Champions League just once in the last five years and that happened in the 2019/20 season when the Merseysiders were knocked out by fellow Madrid giants Atletico. The Reds have struggled a lot this season, but last week they made it two wins in a row after beating Everton and Newcastle back-to-back, and showed that they are gradually returning to their good form.
Real Madrid have also not been at their best lately. The "Whites" are already eight points behind Barcelona in the battle for the La Liga title, and they also have a lot of personnel problems. However, Real have shown time and time again that whatever problems they may have, they can never be written off in the Champions League. Proof of this was the clashes with PSG and Manchester City on the way to the final last season.
On Saturday, Real beat Osasuna 2-0, which was the team's fourth consecutive success in all competitions. Liverpool are winless in their last six games with Real, their worst run against a specific opponent in the Champions League. However, the "Whites" have only one success in their previous seven visits to England.
Luis Diaz, Ibrahima Konate, Thiago Alcantara and Calvin Ramsey are still recovering from injuries in the Liverpool squad. However, Diogo Jota, Roberto Firmino and Virgil van Dijk are back in action. Darwin Nunes suffered a shoulder injury during the clash with Newcastle, but Jurgen Klopp said at his press conference that there is a chance the Uruguayan can play if he is not in too much pain.
Real will be without midfielders Toni Kroos and Aurelian Chuameni. The good news for Carlo Ancelotti, however, is that captain Karim Benzema has made the squad for the trip to Anfield. Thibaut Courtois has already recovered from his injury and even played in the match with Osasuna. Ferran Mendy and Mariano Diaz are also injured.
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