Big Match Feature: Liverpool v Real Madrid

There is a reprise of last season's UEFA Champions League final as Liverpool and Real Madrid meet in the competition for the third season running. Catch the action live on SuperSport and Showmax Pro with highlights, goals and interviews available on the SuperSport app at fulltime.

Madrid have won the last two contests against their English opponents, in the 2020/21 quarterfinals and in last season's decider, although the Reds have also enjoyed their share of success against the Spanish side in the past.

Both clubs are looking to reach the quarterfinals for the third season in a row; neither has lost in the last 16 since 2019/20, and each boasts a strong record at this stage of the UEFA Champions League. Liverpool have won their last five matches in the competition, since a heavy opening defeat at Napoli that meant they had to settle for second place in Group A behind their Italian opponents. Madrid, meanwhile, finished a point ahead of Leipzig in Group F, also suffering one defeat but winning four of their six fixtures.

PREVIOUS MEETINGS

Vinícius Júnior scored the only goal in the 59th minute at the Stade de France on 28 May, giving Madrid their 14th European Cup – and their second at the expense of Liverpool.

The second of the teams' three finals came at Kyiv's NSC Olimpiyski on 26 May 2018, Zinédine Zidane's Madrid becoming the first club to win three successive European Cups twice with a 3-1 victory against a Liverpool side managed, as now, by Jürgen Klopp. Karim Benzema's 51st-minute opener was cancelled out within four minutes by Sadio Mané, but two goals from substitute Gareth Bale (64, 83) – including a stunning overhead effort – took the trophy to Madrid again.

Bob Paisley's Liverpool beat Madrid, coached by Vujadin Boškov, 1-0 in the 1981 European Cup final at the Parc des Princes in Paris, Alan Kennedy scoring the only goal nine minutes from time.

The clubs also crossed paths in the 2020/21 quarter-finals, Madrid winning 3-1 in the home first leg and progressing by the same aggregate score after a goalless draw at Anfield. Vinícius Júnior scored twice at the Santiago Bernabéu (27, 65) either side of Marco Asensio's 36th-minute strike; Mohamed Salah's 51st-minute reply was all Liverpool could muster.

The teams were paired in the 2014/15 group stage, Madrid winning both games with Benzema scoring twice in the first, a 3-0 away win. The Frenchman also got the only goal as Madrid won 1-0 in Spain two weeks later.

Liverpool beat Madrid 5-0 on aggregate in the 2008/09 round of 16. Rafael Benítez's Reds won the first leg 1-0 in Spain before completing a comfortable aggregate victory with a 4-0 success back on Merseyside – still Madrid's biggest UEFA Champions League defeat.

Madrid have five wins to Liverpool's three in the sides' nine meetings, all in the European Cup. Madrid have scored 11 goals, three more than their English opponents.

LIVERPOOL

Liverpool reached their tenth European Cup final in 2021/22, and their third in five seasons. They missed out on their seventh title, however, suffering their fourth final defeat and second at the hands of Madrid.

Klopp's side had finished first in Group B, winning all six games to become the first English club to go through a UEFA Champions League group campaign with maximum points. They stretched that run of victories to seven at Inter in the round of 16 first leg (2-0) and progressed despite a 1-0 home defeat, subsequently ousting Benfica (3-1 a, 3-3 h) and Villarreal (2-0 h, 3-2 a) on their way to the Saint-Denis final.

This is Liverpool's 15th UEFA Champions League campaign; they have reached the final five times, lifting the trophy in 2005 and 2019.

Liverpool went down 4-1 at Napoli on Matchday 1 this season but scored 16 goals in winning their next five fixtures, including a 7-1 success at Rangers and a 2-0 home win in the reverse fixture against Napoli on Matchday 6, although that was not enough for them to overtake the Italian side after each finished with 15 points.

The Merseyside club had finished first in their section for three seasons in a row before coming second to Napoli this time round.

Liverpool's Mohamed Salah was the joint top scorer in this season's group stage with seven goals – the same number as Paris Saint-Germain's Kylian Mbappé.

Second to Manchester City in the 2021/22 Premier League, one point behind, the Reds beat Chelsea on penalties in the finals of both the FA Cup and English League Cup, both of which finished goalless. Liverpool have won ten of their last 14 UEFA Champions League matches at Anfield (D2 L2).

The Merseyside club are in the round of 16 for the sixth season in a row and the 11th overall; their record is W8 L2. Both defeats have come as holders: against Benfica in 2005/06 (0-1 a, 0-2 h) and Atlético de Madrid in 2019/20 (0-1 a, 2-3 h aet).

Liverpool's last three UEFA Champions League campaigns, and four of the last five, have ended in defeat against clubs from Madrid, their losses to Real Madrid in 2018/19, 2020/21 and 2021/22 and their elimination by Atlético in 2019/20.

Last season's wins against Atlético in the group stage (3-2 a, 2-0 h) and Villarreal in the semi-finals have made it six victories in Liverpool's last 19 fixtures against Spanish clubs (D3 L10) – a sequence that also includes a 3-1 loss to Sevilla under Klopp in the 2016 UEFA Europa League final.

The defeat against Atlético in the 2019/20 round of 16 ended Liverpool's perfect record against Spanish clubs in two-legged European Cup knockout ties; they had won all the previous four, but were then beaten in the next as well, by Real Madrid in 2020/21. Their overall record in two-legged knockout ties with Liga sides in UEFA club competition is now W10 L4.

The Merseysiders have won only eight of their 22 games against Spanish visitors at Anfield (D8 L6), although they have been victorious in six of the last ten (D2 L2).

REAL MADRID

This is Madrid's 27th UEFA Champions League campaign, a record they share with Barcelona – and an unrivalled 26th in a row. All 27 have now extended into the knockout rounds.

Madrid claimed their 14th European Cup in 2021/22. Carlo Ancelotti's side had finished first in Group D on 15 points, winning five of their six games, before dramatic knockout wins against Paris Saint-Germain (0-1 a, 3-1 h), holders Chelsea (3-1 a, 2-3 h aet) and Manchester City (3-4 a, 3-1 h aet) ahead of their final defeat of Liverpool.

That made Ancelotti the first coach to win four European Cups; he had been level with Paisley and Zidane on three. The Italian is also the only coach to have taken a team to five finals.

Benzema, Dani Carvajal and Luka Modric all equalled Cristiano Ronaldo's record of appearing in five UEFA Champions League final victories.

Benzema was top scorer in the 2021/22 UEFA Champions League on 15 goals; ten came in the knockout rounds, equalling Ronaldo's record in 2016/17, also for Madrid.

Madrid were also Spanish champions in 2021/22, their 35th Liga title overall and a second in three years. It was only the fourth time they had won the league and the European Cup in the same season, after 1956/57, 1957/58 and 2016/17.

Ancelotti's side have already claimed European silverware this season, goals from David Alaba and Benzema earning a 2-0 victory against UEFA Europa League winners Eintracht Frankfurt in the UEFA Super Cup in Helsinki on 10 August. It was Madrid's fifth Super Cup victory, equalling the competition record of AC Milan and Barcelona.

The holders won their first three games in this season's UEFA Champions League, at Celtic (3-0) and at home to Leipzig (2-0) and Shakhtar Donetsk (2-1), but took only one point from their next two games before finishing with a 5-1 home victory against the Scottish champions.

A 1-1 draw at Shakhtar on Matchday 4 and the 3-2 defeat at Leipzig in their next fixture means Madrid have now won ten of their last 20 UEFA Champions League away games, losing seven including three of the last six.

Having reached the semi-finals or better for eight successive seasons between 2010/11 and 2017/18, Madrid lost in the last 16 against Ajax in 2018/19 and Manchester City the following season but have won the last two ties, making their overall record at this stage W11 L8.

Benzema has 16 goals in 23 UEFA Champions League games against English clubs, his largest tally against opposition from a single nation, including seven last season to overtake his 15 goals against German sides. He is yet to score in the competition in 2022/23.

Madrid's record against English clubs is W20 D13 L16.

Madrid's record in two-legged knockout ties against English clubs is W11 L6. Last season's wins against Chelsea and Manchester City made it six aggregate victories in the last eight, although their last two UEFA Champions League campaigns before last season were both ended by Premier League opponents – Chelsea in the 2020/21 semi-finals and City in the 2019/20 round of 16.

Including the 2021/22 final, this is the sixth time Madrid have been paired with English opposition in their last seven UEFA Champions League knockout ties.

The first-leg victory at Chelsea last season is the Merengues' only away win in their last seven games against English clubs, a sequence that includes four defeats. Madrid's overall away record against English clubs is W7 D5 L9.

LINKS AND TRIVIA

Ancelotti has faced Liverpool 16 times (W9 D4 L3) as a manager, including in two UEFA Champions League finals during his time in charge of AC Milan. His side lost the 2005 final in Istanbul on penalties having led 3-0 at half-time but beat the Reds 2-1 in Athens two years later. Ancelotti's Napoli side were also paired with Klopp's Liverpool in the UEFA Champions League group stage in 2018/19 and 2019/20 (W2 D1 L1).

Ancelotti was Chelsea manager between 2009 and 2011, winning the 2009/10 Premier League and FA Cup double. The Italian was also in charge of Liverpool's local rivals Everton between 2019 and 2021, his four games against Liverpool as Toffees manager ending with the record W1 D2 L1; the sole victory, a 2-0 success on 20 February 2021, was Everton's first Premier League win at Anfield since 1999.

Ancelotti has faced Klopp ten times as a coach (W5 D3 L2) and is unbeaten in the last six (W3 D3). His Madrid side ousted Klopp's Borussia Dortmund in the 2013/14 UEFA Champions League quarter-finals on their way to lifting the trophy (3-0 h, 0-2 a).

Klopp oversaw four games against Madrid as Dortmund coach in 2012/13. After a 2-1 win in Germany and 2-2 draw in Spain in the group stage, the teams met again in the semi-finals, Dortmund going through despite a 2-0 away second-leg defeat having won 4-1 at home, Robert Lewandowski scoring all four of Dortmund's goals. Benzema was on target for Madrid in the second leg.

Fabinho was on loan at Madrid in 2012/13, making one appearance for the senior side in what proved his only season at the club before joining Monaco.

Source: UEFA.com