Real Madrid will travel to Anfield in midweek in order to face Liverpool in the first leg of their UEFA Champions League Round of 16 tie. It is a high profile clash without a shadow of a doubt. These two teams contested the final of the competition last time around, with Carlo Ancelotti’s side coming out on top by a 1-0 scoreline, thanks to a winner from Vinicius Junior and an incredible performance in goal from Thibaut Courtois.
Having come up short in the final, Liverpool will have some extra motivation heading into the game as well. And they found a bit of form at the weekend with a 2-0 away win against an in-form Newcastle United side.
Of course, facing Real Madrid in the Champions League is a completely different prospect. Los Blancos seem to take their game up a couple of notches every time they take part in Europe’s elite competition.
And Jurgen Klopp will be very aware of the task awaiting him. He has faced Real Madrid on several occasions in the past, and come up short in most of them.
Klopp makes Real Madrid claim before Champions League game at Anfield
As reported by Liverpool Echo, Klopp said about Real Madrid:
"“It’s Real Madrid. We can’t play this game without respect. They are absolutely world class. It’s a well set-up team and that’s why it’s so difficult. But that doesn’t mean it’s impossible.”"
The Liverpool manager further went on to add:
"“Real are always super, super competitive and super difficult to beat. But it makes absolute sense to try it anyway.”"
Thus, it looks like Klopp has all the respect in the world for the opposition. But at the same time, he is not counting out his team’s chances either. And why would he?
While neither Real Madrid nor Liverpool have been in great form in recent times, the fact of the matter is that both teams have a number of world-class players, who can determine the result of a game in the blink of an eye.
The biggest problem for both teams heading into the first leg is their extensive list of fitness issues.