Liverpool vs Real Madrid: prediction, preview & team news / UEFA Champions League 2020-21
Liverpool will try to overturn a two-goal deficit when they host Real Madrid in the second leg of their UEFA Champions League quarter-final tie.
Real Madrid produced a dominant display against Liverpool in the first leg and capped off a glorious week with a 2-1 win over bitter rivals Barcelona in El Clasico. It was a sixth straight win for Los Blancos and a 13th game unbeaten. Real last lost a game at the end of January when going down 2-1 at home to Levante.
Real Madrid’s midfielders were on top of their game last week and they ran the show with great authority.
Liverpool pulled off a comeback win over Aston Villa but it was much too insipid a display at times for it to have done much towards sparking a monumental comeback against an in-form Real Madrid in the second leg.
Liverpool have got a mountain to climb after a 3-1 defeat in the first leg. It was a result that halted a three-game winning run for the Reds.
Liverpool vs Real Madrid predictions:
- Liverpool have lost 6 of their last 8 home matches (all competitions).
- Liverpool have won 2 of their last 10 home matches (all competitions).
- Real Madrid have won their last 4 matches against Liverpool (UEFA Champions League).
- Real Madrid are undefeated in their last 13 matches (all competitions).
- Real Madrid have won their last 6 matches (all competitions).
- Real Madrid have won 6 of their last 7 matches (UEFA Champions League).
- Real Madrid have won 15 of their 16 previous knockout ties when winning the first leg by two or more goals, with the exception being the 2003/04 quarter-final against AS Monaco.
- Real Madrid have scored in each of their last 23 Champions League.
Liverpool and Real Madrid have squared off seven times till date. Real Madrid have won four matches while Liverpool have won three. The last time these two sides met was last week when Real Madrid won the match 3-1.
Real Madrid were 3-0 and 1-0 winners over Liverpool in the group stages of the Champions League in 2014.
Liverpool have only ever lost 11 home matches in the Champions League, but five of those have come against Spanish opposition, and they have only progressed twice in 13 attempts after losing the first leg by two goals.
Liverpool have a moderate record against Spanish La Liga clubs, 15 wins, 12 draws and 16 losses from 43 matches.
Real Madrid met Premier League clubs on 41 occasions and managed 17 wins along with 11 draws while losing 13.
History certainly favours the visitors, as they have come up trumps in 15 of their last 16 second-leg ties when winning the first leg by a margin of two goals or more – the outlier being their 2003-04 exit to losing finalists Monaco – and Zidane’s side have found the back of the net 23 times in a row in the Champions League knockout stages.
Wednesday’s second leg represents the eighth meeting between Liverpool and Real Madrid, with the Reds boasting three wins compared to Real’s four – all of which have come in the last four meetings between the clubs.
This will be Real Madrid’s third visit to Anfield to face Liverpool in European competition – they lost 0-4 in March 2009 and won 3-0 in October 2014 (both in the Champions League).
Real Madrid are playing the best football we have seen from them in a long time. Liverpool are nowhere near their best and are unlikely to pull a rabbit out of their hat on Wednesday.
Our prediction: Real Madrid win @ 3.74
