To seek revenge for their nightmarish final last season, Liverpool welcomes Real Madrid at Anfield for the first leg of this tantalizing round of 16 tie.
The Reds finished second to a flamboyant Napoli side in Group A, while Real Madrid managed to beat RB Leipzig for first place in Group F.
LIV vs RMA Match Details
Date: Tuesday, 21 February 2023 / Wednesday, 22 February 2023
Time: 21:00 (BST) / 01:30 (IST)
Venue: Anfield, Liverpool
LIV vs RMA Match Preview
Nine months have passed since Vinicius Jr lurked behind Trent Alexander-Arnold to slot the only goal of the 2021/22 Champions League final in Paris which was marred by matters off the pitch. It was a difficult evening for Liverpool anyway with the lives of their fans coming into danger due to poor policing outside the stadium and then their chase for an unprecedented quadruple coming to an end. The Reds also lost the Premier League title to Manchester City by a point, settling only with two domestic cups triumph. However, Jurgen Klopp’s men looked far from the steam-rolling team of last season this time fighting an uphill battle to get into the top four in the league let alone in the title conversation. Initially, they struggled in Europe as well after getting thrashed by Serie A leaders Napoli 4-1 in the opening group stage game but they managed to win the rest of the games to qualify. Defeating the Italian club in the last league game was not enough to finish at the top of their group due to goal difference and it locked them again with Real Madrid in the last 16 stage. Liverpool have hope though with the first leg being at Anfield and the latest uptick in form after back-to-back Premier League game wins with a clean sheet. The Reds have also suffered only one last-16 exit under Klopp in the last five years against Real Madrid’s city rivals Atletico in the 2019/20 season. That being said, they are winless in the last six meetings against Los Blancos, their longest-ever losing run against an opponent in the Champions League.
That night in Paris in May last year Real Madrid claimed their record-extending 14th Champions League title with manager Carlo Ancelotti becoming the most successful coach in the competition. Such has been the prestige and legacy set by Los Blancos in the contest that they put up the most unthinkable comeback multiple times in the knockout stages to hand them the silverware last season. It is the prize Real aim each time and this season is no different albeit will be an important one to win as their rivals FC Barcelona has already staked a claim for the domestic league title, eight points clear at the top. Ancelotti’s men have not looked consistent every time both in La Liga and in Europe. In the group stages, the holders started impressively with three wins on the spin but required a last-minute header from Antonio Rudiger to settle a draw against Shakhtar Donetsk and then lost 3-2 to RB Leipzig. They managed to pick themselves up after that and thrashed Celtic 5-1 in the last matchday to secure the top spot in the group. Facing a familiar foe in last year’s finalists at their den in the last 16, Real Madrid will hope they don’t bring any uncertainty in the mix. This will be the fourth trip they make to Anfield to face Liverpool and have stayed unbeaten in the last two trips.
Recent Form (all competitions)
LIV: WWLLD
RMA: WWWWL
Form (Champions League)
LIV: WWWWWL
RMA: WLDWWW
LIV vs RMA Team News
Darwin Nunez has trained with the squad amid doubt over his availability for the game due to a shoulder injury he picked up at the weekend. Manager Jurgen Klopp said there is a chance for him to feature if he can cope with the pain, otherwise, Diogo Jota and Roberto Firmino both are available for selection after returning from their injuries. Trent Alexander-Arnold is one booking away from receiving a ban. Luis Diaz, Ibrahima Konate, Thiago Alcantara and Calvin Ramsay are all absent.
Real Madrid are without their two midfield stars, Toni Kroos and Aurelien Tchouameni for the trip to Anfield. The German is suffering from gastrointestinal discomfort while the 23-year-old has the flu. Dani Ceballos and Eduardo Camavinga will continue in their place in the starting XI. Karim Benzema is back with the squad after missing the league win over Osasuna because of muscular fatigue. Ferland Mendy and backup striker Mariano Diaz missed out with injuries.
LIV vs RMA Predicted Lineups
LIV: Alisson Becker; Alexander-Arnold, Joe Gomez, Van Dijk, Andrew Robertson; Jordan Henderson, Fabinho, Stefan Bajcetic; Mohamed Salah, Cody Gakpo, Darwin Nunez
RMA: Thibaut Courtois; Daniel Carvajal, Eder Militao, Antonio Rudiger, David Alaba; Dani Ceballos, Eduardo Camavinga, Luka Modric; Federico Valverde, Karim Benzema, Vinicius Jr
LIV vs RMA Dream11 Team Prediction
GK: Courtois (7.5)
DEF: Trent (8.5), Militao (7.5), Van Dijk (8), Robertson (7.5)
MID: Valverde (8), Henderson (7), Modric (8)
FW: Salah (9), Benzema (9), Vinicius (9)
Vice-captain: Mohamed Salah
Captain: Karim Benzema
Thibaut Courtois made a record nine saves in the Champions League final last year. He has made 17 in total this season in four games with 2 clean sheets.
Mohamed Salah is just one goal away from being the outright top-scorer for Liverpool in European competition. He is also the joint top-scorer in the Champions League this season with seven goals in six games with Kylian Mbappe.
Karim Benzema finished as the top goalscorer in this competition last season with 15 strikes to his name. The 35-year-old has surprisingly not found the back of the net yet this term.
Stay tuned to Fantasy Football for upcoming matches.
