5 reasons why Real Madrid will advance past Liverpool and into the semifinals

3. Real Madrid’s control of the midfield

Real Madrid arguably has the best midfield in Europe. The clarity on Fede Valverde’s chances of playing in the second leg against Liverpool is still blurry. The explosive Uruguayan would be a certain miss. But even then, Zinedine Zidane would be left with options as reliable as any.

Toni Kroos, Luka Modric, and Carlos Casemiro seem like the ideal midfield trio for Los Blancos to go with. Zidane can choose to operate wingbacks with Lucas Vazquez injured, sticking to a three-man defense. If he does so, Marcelo and Rodrygo Goes seem the likely options. And, that right there is a recipe for disaster for the Reds.

Toni Kroos bossed the Reds with a vintage-Kroos show in the first leg. His involvements in all three goals and handy defensive work made the win possible for Los Blancos and it is expected to be pretty much the same in the second leg. His deflected goal also won them the Clasico after which the German was rested for a good chunk of the second half.

This means Kroos would be fresh and ready. Apart from him, Modric has as always been rock-solid in steady buildups. His linkup with Kroos is one of those sights that can be watched for hours and admired. Casemiro would always be up with his defensive duties, as he did in the first leg. If anything, he would be expected to walk out with even better ball retrievals and interceptions than the first leg.

Liverpool would once again be expected to start their midfield combination of Fabinho, Naby Keita, and Georginio Wijnaldum. In comparison, Real Madrid emerges clear winners in the midfield battle.