The stage is set for arguably the most exciting game of the season so far as teams with a combined 19 Champions League titles prepare to collide.
The Champions League is set to return on our TV screens on Tuesday with a pair of delightful quarter-finals first-leg fixtures: Real Madrid vs Liverpool and Manchester City Borussia Dortmund.
Here, we preview the match which is set to be contested by two of the most successful teams in the history of the Champions League at the Alfredo Di Stefano Stadium and scheduled to kick off at 21:00 CET.
Real Madrid vs Liverpool Form
The Spanish champions’ title defense is not playing out according to how they would have hoped. Sitting third in the La Liga table, they are two points behind second-placed FC Barcelona and three behind leaders Atletico Madrid.
Zinedine Zidane’s men had their fair share of troubles in the first half of the season but they beat Eibar 2-0 last time out to extend their unbeaten streak across to 11 games (9W2D) all competitions.
Los Blancos managed just three wins from their six Group B fixtures but beat Atalanta in both legs by a 4-1 aggregate scoreline to progress to the last-eight of the competition.
The English titleholders’ title defense, meanwhile, has been significantly worse. They find themselves down at seventh, 25 points off the pace and three points below top-four.
However, they will go into Tuesday’s tie with confidence after putting in one of their finest performances of the season, beating Arsenal 3-0 away from home.
The Reds have emerged victorious only twice and have been on the wrong end of the scoreline eight times in their previous 12 encounters with Spanish opposition.
Real Madrid vs Liverpool Head-to-head
A evenly-matched head-to-head record exists between the two sides, with three wins for each out of a total of six matches.
Real Madrid beat Liverpool 3-1 in the previous meeting – the 2018 Champions League final. Karim Benzema and Gareth Bale, who scored a stunning overhead kick, were on the scoreline while Sergio Ramos and Mohamed Salah were involved in a feud.
Real Madrid vs Liverpool Team News
The hosts will have to make do without their talismanic center-back and captain Ramos, who is nursing a calf problem. Eden Hazard, Dani Carvajal, and Federico Valverde will also miss out.
Virgil van Dijk, Jordan Henderson, Joel Matip, and Joe Gomez, are those sidelined for the visitors. Divock Origi and Caoimhin Kelleher, meanwhile, are also doubts.
Predicted XIs:
Real Madrid vs Liverpool Latest Odds
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