Liverpool will attempt to pull off a miraculous fightback on Wednesday when they take on Real Madrid in their UEFA Champions League round of 16 second leg away at Real Madrid. You can catch all the action only on Paramount+. Jurgen Klopp’s men will start 5-2 down on aggregate at Santiago Bernabeu and recent form has not exactly been overwhelming in terms of suggesting that an epic recovery is on the cards. Still, Liverpool have UCL comeback pedigree and if anybody can boast flakier form than the Reds since their first leg meeting then it is Carlo Ancleotti’s side. We look at how we expect the two team to lineup in the Spanish capital come Wednesday evening.
Confirmed starting lineups
Real Madrid: Courtois; Carvajal, Militao, Rudiger, Nacho; Modric, Camavinga, Kroos; Valverde, Benzema (c), Vinicius Jr.
Liverpool: Alisson; Alexander-Arnold, Konate, Van Dijk, Robertson; Fabinho, Milner (c); Salah, Jota, Nunez; Gakpo.
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The first leg was a seven-goal thriller that few will be able to forget in a hurry and the latest in a long line of improbable shows of strength from Real on the continental stage. Just when you are ready to write the Spanish giants off, they deliver a showing like this which hints that there is further life in the old beast yet.
Darwin Nunez and Mohamed Salah had opened up a two-goal lead inside of 15 minutes yet Los Blancos were level by half time and out of sight midway through the second half. A Vinicius Junior double spared Thibaut Courtois’ early blushes and gave Alisson Becker some of his own before Eder Militao and a Karim Benzema double put Ancelotti’s side in control…
