Real Madrid take on Liverpool in the first leg of the Champions League quarter-finals later this week.
Stadium: Estadio Alfredo Di Stefano
Key Statistics
Liverpool have kept a clean sheet in 7 of their last 9 matches in the Champions League.
Real Madrid have won 5 of their last 6 matches in the Champions League.
Real Madrid have won their last 3 matches against Liverpool in all competitions.
Real Madrid
Real Madrid will be hoping to pick up a healthy advantage before their trip to Anfield for the second leg.
The Spanish outfit are a quality side and despite some of their injury issues they are good enough to grind out a win here.
The home side will be without Sergio Ramos, Daniel Carvajal, Federico Valverde and Eden Hazard due to injuries.
Possible Real Madrid line-ups
Thibaut Courtois; Ferland Mendy, Nacho, Raphael Varane, Lucas Vazquez; Casemiro, Luka Modric, Toni Kroos; Marco Asensio, Vinicius Junior, Karim Benzema
Unavailable: Carvajal (hamstring), Hazard (fitness), Ramos (calf)
Doubtful: Valverde (muscular)
Misses next match if booked: Mendy, Valverde
It’s knockout football, a final, that’s going to be played over 180 minutes or more. We know what there is to come, but we’re just focused on tomorrow’s game – nothing else. It’s the most important game of the season because it’s the next one we have. We aren’t thinking about the past [the 2018 final].
Liverpool are a really complete team. Their front line is really good but in general they’re a solid outfit. They play well as a team. Both sides are missing players, but that always happens in football, but strength comes from the team.
We’ve been underrated and I’m very confident what my team can achieve. The history of this club shows we can always battle back. We never give up or throw in the towel. We are still alive in both competitions [the league and Champions League]. There have been some lows this season but we still have to fight on
Zinédine Zidane, Real Madrid manager
Liverpool
Meanwhile, Liverpool have shown an upturn in form recently and they picked up a stunning win over Arsenal at the weekend.
The Reds will fancy their chances of pulling off an upset against Los Blancos and it will be interesting to see if Jurgen Klopp’s side can secure a positive result in the first leg.
Liverpool will be without Divock Origi, Joel Matip, Virgil van Dijk, Jordan Henderson and Joe Gomez due to injuries.
Possible Liverpool line-ups
Alisson Becker; Andrew Robertson, Ozan Kabak, Nathaniel Phillips, Trent Alexander-Arnold; Fabinho, Georginio Wijnaldum, Thiago Alcantara; Sadio Mane, Diogo Jota, Mohamed Salah
Unavailable: Gomez (knee), Henderson (groin), Kelleher (abdominal), Matip (ankle), Origi (muscular), Van Dijk (knee)
Misses next match if booked: Henderson, Milner, Wijnaldum
We have to chase Real Madrid tomorrow, who are in a really good moment. Very experienced. If someone knows how to win the Champions League, it is Real Madrid.
I’m not so determined to show the world how good we are, I want to show our fans that we are still fighting. We want to get whatever is possible out of this season. We have created a better base recently and we are still in the fight.
Our team is built for this kind of game. We face a football-playing side which helps and that’s why we have a chance. Everyone says Real Madrid is favourite and we have no problem with the role of challenger.
Jurgen Klopp, Liverpool manager
Betting Odds
Real Madrid : Draw : Liverpool :: 2.70 : 3.50 : 2.50
Prediction
It should be a close contest between two sides who love to play free-flowing attacking football.
Both teams are likely to cancel each other out in a draw in the first leg.
Real Madrid 1-1 Liverpool
