Real Madrid carries a 3-1 aggregate edge into the second leg of the quarterfinals at Anfield.
Liverpool is no stranger to a magical Champions League comeback, and it'll take another one if the club is to keep its run in this season's competition going.
Real Madrid carries a 3-1 aggregate lead into Anfield for the second leg of the clubs' quarterfinal matchup on Wednesday. Vinicius Junior's double led the way for Zinedine Zidane's side in the first leg in Spain, but Mohamed Salah's away goal gives Liverpool some hope as it heads home.
As Jurgen Klopp has pointed out, this home match won't be like the one that sparked Liverpool's comeback from 3-0 down to Barcelona in 2019, with fans still not allowed to attend due to the pandemic. It'll be the Reds to create their own atmosphere—and goals—if they are to advance to the semifinals.
Both clubs will continue to be without their first-choice center backs, which could add to the intrigue as two of the most successful clubs in European competition and the 2018 Champions League finalists lock horns once again.
Just two minutes in and it's a wonder how Mohamed Salah didn't convert a chance right in front of goal. The Egyptian star had the entire goal to choose from but ended up shooting directly at Thibaut Courtois, who made the save.
One minute later, Sadio Mane nearly found Roberto Firmino with a through ball at point-blank range after the Senegalese international made an impressive run down the left wing.
Liverpool continued to push forward with plenty of energy in the first 10 minutes. James Milner's looped shot from 20 yards nearly gave the hosts the lead but it was Courtois to the rescue once again for a lethargic Real side with a leaping save. With two near misses, Liverpool has attempted more shots on target in the opening 11 minutes than it did in the entire first leg.
Real waited until the 20th minute to join in on the action as Karim Benzema hit the post when his cut-back effort deflected off a Liverpool defender and went into the woodwork.
Tensions started to flare in the 24th minute when Casemiro barreled into James Milner with a late sliding tackle right in front of an incensed Jürgen Klopp. The yellow card for the Brazilian international followed up his red card in El Clásico over the weekend.
Stay tuned here for live updates and highlights of goals and key plays from throughout the match (refresh for most recent updates).
Here are the lineups for both teams:
The winner will face Chelsea in the semifinals, with the Blues having outlasted Porto in the quarterfinals on a 2-1 aggregate.
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