Somebody once said that the most dangerous result in football is 2-0, as the winning team has a tendency to lose concentration as they thin k that the job is done. But is 5-2 enough for the win? Probably is, especially if Real Madrid is the owner of the score. The Royal club annihilated Liverpool at Anfield in the first match of the Champions League knockout stage and now they are hosting the Reds at Santiago Bernabeu. But whatever the result, you have to play for 90 minutes, and there were similar situations in the past, when Real had big victories in the first leg, only to sweat until the last minute in the reverse matches. And they remember that in Madrid.Jürgen Klopp has never beaten Real Madrid since he joined Liverpool. Mo Salah has never won a game against Real Madrid. pic.twitter.com/DOX2VPMagx— Madrid Universal (@MadridUniversal) March 15, 2023 Just last season, Real won 3-1 in London against Chelsea, only to see the Blues taking a 3-0 lead at Santiago Bernabeu, until Rodrygo, and then Karim Benzema saved the team in extra time. The worst surprise came in 2019, when Real won in Amsterdam 2-1 (Ajax was coached by Erik ten Hag), but at Santiago Bernabeu, Real lost 4-1 and was eliminated. In the 2017/18, Madrid was crowned as champion, but in the quarterfinals, they thought that the game was over when they won in Turin against Juventus 3-0. But at Santiago Bernabeu, Juventus was leading 3-0 until Cristiano Ronaldo scored in the 97th minute for the 3-1 and a breakthrough.So, knowing all that, coach Carlo Ancelotti is preparing the strongest possible squad, and that means that his talisman will start from the beginning. Karim Benzema saved this club so many times last season and he is ‘cryptonite’ for Liverpool. He is the player who has scored the most goals in the Champions League against Liverpool, six goals in seven games. And one of the most important one was against Karius in Kyiv. ‘Luckily’ for the Reds, most of those goals came at Anfield, and the game is played in Madrid tonight. But Benzema is also great against other oponents. With 88 goals, he is the third best all-time scorer, with only Messi (129) and Cristiano Ronaldo (141) ahead of him.Hazard: ‘Carlo and I don’t talk to each other’In the Liverpool camp, things are pretty much clear. 5-2 against Real is not a reason for any optimism, but the game must be played.„What I said after the game three weeks ago was that Madrid are through to next round. But three weeks later, we know there is a game to play and if it is only a one per cent chance, I would like to give it a try. In this room, 100 per cent of people think we have no chance. If I am the only one who thinks we have a little, that’s fine. We are not saying: “we are coming, be careful!” and, to win, we are going to have to play really well. It’s Real Madrid, they are three goals up. It’s not something you want for Christmas, but we have nothing to lose. We are alone with a little belief, in with a chance of doing it. If we can surprise ourselves in a negative way, then we should be able to surprise ourselves in a positive way“ said coach Jurgen Klopp before the match.CHAMPIONS LEAGUE – LAST 16 ROUNDSecond leg07.03.Chelsea – Dortmund 2-0 (1-0)/Sterling 43, Havertz 53 pen/Benfica – Brugge 5-1 (2-0)/Rafa Silva 38, Ramos 45+2, 57, Joao Mario 71 pen, Neres 77 – Meijer 87/08.03.Tottenham – AC Milan 0-0Bayern Munich – PSG 2-0 (0-0)/Choupo-Moting 61, Gnabry 89/TuesdayPorto – Inter 0-0Man.City – RB Leipzig 7-0 (2-0)/Haaland 22 pen, 23, 45+2, 54, 57, Gundogan 49, De Bruyne 90+2/Wednesday23.00: (2.45) Real Madrid (3.95) Liverpool (2.80)23.00: (1.50) Napoli (4.40) Eintr.Frankfurt (7.50)***odds are subject to change***
