Real Madrid: Roundtable predictions for second leg vs. Liverpool

Real Madrid play Liverpool on Wednesday in a season-defining tie. They won the first leg 3-1 at the Estadio Alfredo Di Stefano, a game that featured some amazing individual performances. This game is very important because Liverpool have nothing to lose anymore. They were nowhere near at their best in the first leg and were punished for it. Because of that, they probably will go all out, and they will do everything in their power to make Real suffer. Let’s see what happens.

I had the chance to gather a bunch of the writers from the site and ask them to predict what is going to happen at Anfield on Wednesday. This is The Real Champs’ roundtable predictions for the game against Liverpool.

Prasanna Baidya: Liverpool need to take the game to Real Madrid to overturn the 3-1 deficit they suffered at Estadio Alfredo Di Stefano. While the Anfield heroics against Barcelona might be fresh in the mind of Liverpool fans, they need to remember that this is not the same Jurgen Klopp team. They have struggled all season long and even more so at home.

However, Real Madrid cannot take this game lightly. It will be a tough fixture and Zinedine Zidane will be sure to prepare his team mentally. The Reds have to attack and will most likely play their usual high-intensity game which will leave plenty of space in the back. If Los Blancos can soak in the pressure and utilize the ability of Toni Kroos and Luka Modric to release players like Vinicius Junior behind Liverpool’s defense, Zidane’s men can easily get through to the quarterfinals of the UCL.

My prediction for the match is Real Madrid will get a narrow 2-1 victory over Liverpool at Anfield.

AJ Desai:  I’ll give Liverpool a goal here not because of competition, but for consolation. After Jurgen Klopp complained about the pitch dimensions at the Alfredo Di Stefano, I think our players will fight the full 90. Because of Lucas Vazquez not being able to play this game due to an unfortunate injury, Zidane may have no choice but to turn to Odriozola, which is a scary situation. Another 3 back set in Mendy, Nacho, Militao? It has prevailed for us before! We shall see! Prediction: Liverpool 1-2 Real Madrid.

Hridyam Arora: I am usually an optimistic guy. But right now, I’m not too comfortable with the way things are for Liverpool, and the way things have been in the past in similar situations (Yes, that game against Barcelona). However, I do think Real Madrid will go through. I expect Liverpool to go all out for this one. Remember the way they pressed for the first 10 minutes of the second half, keeping Real Madrid in their own defensive third for the majority of those 10 minutes? I expect the Reds to play like that in spurts throughout the game.

The outcome of the match depends on how well Real Madrid handle that press, and how they put Liverpool’s high-line to their advantage, as they did in the first leg. Obviously, Toni Kroos wouldn’t get that much space this time around, but I still think he is going to be very, very important. I also expect Benzema to dominate the defenders more than he did in the previous game.

My prediction for this game would be either a 1-1 draw, or a 2-1 win for Real Madrid. See? I’m optimistic!

Kevin Parvizi: I think Liverpool is going to come out firing and will take a lot of attacking risks. They are going to inevitably leave the middle of the pitch open, which means Luka Modric and Toni Kroos will have plenty of room to operate and keep possession. Real Madrid’s focus will be on managing the game with their midfielders, and a 3-5-2 formation can help them maintain control while getting width in their play from Marcelo and another wing back.

Real won’t keep a clean sheet, but they rarely allow more than two goals in a match. Expect this to be a tense affair, and Real will draw 2-2, scoring by taking advantage of mistakes Liverpool make when they lose the ball from an attack.

Manas Pratim Sharma: 

I wouldn’t bank on Real Madrid to keep a clean sheet. They haven’t kept many of them in the last few games. Through some way or the other, the opponent finds the net, and I think it’d be similar for the second leg at Anfield, too. Especially because we would be missing Lucas Vazquez. I have this strong feeling that Real Madrid will operate with wingbacks and stick to a three-man defense with Mendy, Nacho, and Militao.

Liverpool would need to contain Vinicius and Benzema upfront and the terrible Reds defense will suffer again. I am being conservative with my prediction only because Modric played for the full 90 minutes in El Clasico and naturally he would be tired, because he’s been playing non-stop since before the international break. Even though the explosive Fede Valverde is in the squad list, I believe he won’t start after the injury he suffered in El Clasico. So, I think it’ll be a 2-1 victory for Los Blancos.