Liverpool vs Real Madrid: Champions League preamble
Good morning, good afternoon or good evening, depending on where you are! Welcome to our live coverage of Liverpool and Real Madrid’s Champions League quarter-final second leg at Anfield, as the Reds and Los Blancos do battle for the right to face Thomas Tuchel’s Chelsea in the last four.
Liverpool were well beaten in last week’s first leg at the Estadio Alfredo di Stéfano, two goals by Vinicius Jr and one by Marco Asensio earning Madrid a 3-1 victory that Zinedine Zidane’s men deserved all ends up, and that leaves the 13-time European champs as the clear favourites to progress this evening.
As Barcelona are only too aware, though, Liverpool are no stranger to the heroic European comeback – and Mohamed Salah’s away goal in Madrid means the task facing the hosts is considerably less daunting than against the Catalans two years ago. While nothing less than a 4-0 shellacking was needed to overturn Barça’s 3-0 first-leg advantage, a comparatively straightforward 2-0 win will do for Jürgen Klopp’s men tonight.
That said, a shufties at the stats will not fill Liverpool fans with optimism that Real Madrid’s commanding lead will go the same way as the Spaniards’ arch rivals’. Indeed, Madrid have only lost one of 16 previous Champions League knockout ties in which they won the first leg by two or more goals.
Liverpool, meanwhile, have won just two out of 13 two-legged European ties in which they have been beaten by two or more in the opener. The Merseysiders will need a “close-to-perfect” performance if they are to pull off another famous continental turnaround, Reds left-back Andy Robertson told reporters on Tuesday.
