Six-time UEFA Champions League winners Liverpool will welcome current holders and 14-time champions Real Madrid to Anfield this Tuesday for the first leg of the round of 16 tie.
The struggling Reds qualified for this tournament round after narrowly finishing second in Group A behind a rampant Napoli side. They recorded five wins in six UCL group stage outings, scoring 17 times and conceding six goals.
So, despite their poor performance in domestic competitions this season, they have maintained their high standards in Europe. However, things have been better recently, with back-to-back 2-0 wins in league action against Everton and Newcastle, moving them closer to the top four in the Premier League table.
But this fixture hasn’t always gone Liverpool’s way in recent times. Jurgen Klopp’s men are winless against their Spanish counterparts in the last six H2Hs (D1, L5). However, they are always strong at Anfield, where they have lost only one of their last 23 home games (W16, D6).
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But Real Madrid wouldn’t care about Anfield and its famed atmosphere as they have the psychological advantage in this fixture. Los Blancos beat Liverpool to win the trophy last season despite playing worse than the Reds.
They qualified for this tie by finishing top of Group F, with four wins, one draw and one loss, while scoring 15 times and conceding six.
Carlo Ancelotti’s side are in good form, too, as they have won each of their last four fixtures with a mammoth 15 goals amassed in that time. So, they will fancy their chances here even though they have won only once in their last seven UCL visits to England (D2, L4). That said, we can expect an under 2.5 goals outing in this fixture, given how cagey things can get when both sides meet.
