Real Madrid have not lost to Liverpool since 2009. Will Klopp be able to break the black streak?

ANOMALY ON ANFIELD

Jurgen Klopp’s side travel to Madrid after a sensational 2-5 home defeat. And this is at Anfield, where a week and a half later another historical event took place – the biggest defeat of Manchester United, which seemed to have gone to the rails (7:0).

At the same time, one should not overestimate the victory of the “royal club” in the first match. On all major metrics, he played the Reds roughly evenly: 48% to 52% possession, 10-10 shooting, 3-4 corners, 9-8 fouls and expected goals (xG) even lost 1.36-1.53. Just Karim Benzema and Vinicius Junior gave an incredibly inspired match, once again reminding everyone that the Champions League is a creamy tournament. They’ve gotten the “ears” five times in the last nine draws.

THE OBJECTIVES ARE CROSSED

At the same time, the current Real Madrid are inferior to themselves from previous seasons and are far from being in optimal shape. Then, after winning in England, they managed just one win in four successive matches: 1:1 with Atlético, 0:1 against Barcelona, ​​​​​​0:0 with Betis and 3:1 with Espanyol. Four goals in four games, three of which against an outsider: it’s no longer an accident, but a trend.

The Reds also cannot boast of performances. It seems strange, but if we exclude the frankly anomalous match with Manchester United, then in the remaining three matches of the period under review, Klopp’s wards scored only twice: 0-0 with Crystal Palace, 2-0 with Wolverhampton and 0- 1 of Bournemouth.

VINISIUS LINK – Benzema ON SITE

Uefa

Defeats to both teams are chronic and not new to coaches. Thus, Carlo Ancelotti is forced to do without Ferland Mendy (he recovered, but didn’t get back in shape) and David Alaba (injured). The difficulty here is that both are designed to cover the left flank of the defence. Then you have to look for an alternative. The Italian specialist has found two: the limited but versatile Nacho Fernandez or the non-core but powerful Eduardo Camavinga.

Which option the Italian specialist chooses depends on his strategy for the match. The French are better with the ball, the Spanish are safer without it. From the outside it seems that, having a three-goal lead, it’s not at all necessary to be so careful, especially against the legendary Santiago Bernabeu. On the other hand, it was Nacho who went out during the first match who “ate up” Mohamed Salah and turned the tide of the match.

Benzema missed the match with Espanyol, but has already managed to get back into the general round, so he will play on Wednesday with a 99% probability.

Liverpool have more dropouts: Luis Diaz, Thiago Alcantara, Joe Gomez and Naby Keita. But of these, only the absence of Alcantara can be called a headache for Klopp. In his absence, the German trusts Harvey Elliott or Stefan Baycetic, but, for example, in the recently lost match with Bournemouth, both played very poorly. There is also Jordan Henderson, but he is responsible for mobility and strength, not intelligence. You can also think of veteran James Milner, Fabio Carvalho and Artur, but they only have 10 base games for the three of them this season.

INDICATIVE COMPOSITIONS:

“Real”: Courtois – Carvajal, Militao, Rüdiger, Nacho – Tchuameni, Kroos, Modric – Valverde, Benzema, Vinicius.

“Liverpool”: Alison – Alexander-Arnold, Konate, van Dijk, Robertson – Henderson, Fabinho, Elliott – Salah, Gakpo, Nunez.

WILL REAL AND SALAH RENEW THEIR SERIES?

Real Madrid have beaten Liverpool in six of their last seven games to once again bring home a point from Anfield. Thus, the Reds have not been able to defeat Creamy since 2009, when they beat their opponent 4-0 at home. Since then, the goal difference has been steep in favor of the Spaniards: 16-4. So, statistically speaking, nothing shines for the British here.

Among the further intrigues of the match, the confrontation between Mohamed Salah and Thibaut Courtois should be noted. The Egyptian, with eight goals in seven games, is the top scorer of the tournament (he scores every 67 minutes), and whatever the fate of the team, he certainly wants to prolong the pleasure of being at the top. And for this you need to score at least a couple of goals. Considering that in the current Champions League he has not left the field without a goal for six games in a row, there will be nothing unexpected in this.

The match will take place on March 15 at 2 am3:00 at Moscow time. You can immerse yourself in the atmosphere of the upcoming fight and follow the match live in the Ligi Stavok application. Here is a broad line and the most interesting results. For all new players, the betting company has prepared a great gift — bonus up to 10,000 rubles in the Wheel of Fortune!