Why Liverpool just might beat Real Madrid

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The UEFA Champions League returns this evening with another blockbuster matchup in the Round of 16.  Liverpool will host Real Madrid at Anfield with the Reds looking to end their losing streak against Los Blancos.

Real Madrid have been the dominant entity in this Champions League fixture for over a decade with Liverpool’s last victory coming in the 2008/09 season, a historic 4-0 win at Anfield under Rafael Benitez.

In Carlo Ancelotti’s first stint in Madrid, they were comfortable winners with an aggregate of 4-0 in the group stages and have since been victorious on four occasions including the 2017/18 and 2021/22 Champions League finals.

Both Real Madrid and Liverpool have had underwhelming seasons domestically.  Liverpool sit in 8th place and are all but out of the top four race while Real Madrid are sitting 8 points behind their biggest rivals Barcelona in La Liga.

Real Madrid will be missing defender Ferland Mendy and midfielders Aurelien Tchouameni and Toni Kroos.  Kroos has been key to Madrid’s success over Liverpool with the German’s ability in possession among the greatest to play the game.

Kroos was able to exploit the space in behind Liverpool’s fullbacks, particularly on Trent Alexander-Arnold’s side.  This gave Vinicius Junior the perfect platform to attack and was central to Madrid’s tactics in all of their recent victories.  The absence of Kroos will put more pressure on young midfielder Eduardo Camavinga and veteran Luka Modric.

Liverpool will need to win the midfield battle if they are to take an advantage to the Santiago Bernabeu, despite this being their weakest area so far this season.  Fabinho, Jordan Henderson and youngster Stefan Bajcetic will all need to be at their best if they wish to outplay a midfield that contains a maestro like Luka Modric.

This is Liverpool’s only chance for silverware this season after being eliminated from the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup, and Jurgen Klopp’s side will be going into this fixture with one thing on their mind.  Redemption from last season’s failure is not impossible even as they struggle for consistency both on the field and behind the scenes.

Will the Reds have another historical night at Anfield? Or will Los Blancos show their Champions League pedigree with an away victory?

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Dylan Johnson