Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp believes they have a one percent chance to overturn the three-goal deficit against Real Madrid in the first leg of the Champions League. The Reds arrived in Madrid down 5-2 from the first leg, and while Klopp’s opinion has improved from three weeks ago, when he said Madrid was already out, the odds have not shifted significantly in their favor. Liverpool lacks history as well, having only previously overcome a three-goal first-leg European disadvantage – the legendary 4-0 Champions League semi-final victory over Barcelona in 2019. No side in the competition’s history has ever lost the first leg of a knockout tie by three goals and come back, and only four have ever come back from a three-goal deficit in the second leg.
“What I announced after the game that night was that Madrid had advanced to the next round. But now, three weeks later, we know there is a game to be played. If there is only a one percent probability, I would like to attempt it,” Liverpool head coach Jurgen Klopp said before their game against Real Madrid. “That is most likely achievable, despite the difficulty. Not likely, but possible, and for that reason, we’re here, and we’ll see where it takes us. We respect the competition and the opponent much too much to not be excited about the game tomorrow. It is a difficult task because we are not in a good situation. If I was on that side of the table these are the questions I’d be asking and I would say the same thing: ‘No chance for Liverpool’. That means we’re on our own.”
Liverpool is also lacking confidence after a demoralizing defeat at Bournemouth a week after beating Manchester United 7-0. Yet, Klopp stated that if their roller-coaster season continued, they were ready for another good moment.
“I’m not sure if we have a better chance this season, but if we can surprise ourselves negatively, we should be able to surprise ourselves positively as well. If it’s going to go up and down, it should be up again tomorrow,” he added. “We are not here warning Madrid ‘Be careful, we are coming’. But we’re here to try to win the game, and in order to do that, we need to play really well. An average or good game will not be enough. We’ll have to be on top of our game, and that’s exactly what we’ll attempt to do.”
Carlo Ancelotti, manager of Real Madrid, is not making any assumptions regarding the game against Liverpool. The La Liga team is sitting comfortably after their successful first leg, and that, combined with the fact that they have only failed to score once in their last 66 European home meetings, has put them on the cusp of a quarter-final spot. Ancelotti, who famously suffered a remarkable 45-minute comeback by Liverpool to win 2005 final as AC Milan manager, is taking nothing for granted and can also point to last season’s quarter-final second leg at home to Chelsea, which they lost 3-2 after being 3-0 down with 10 minutes remaining to progress by virtue of their 3-1 win at Stamford Bridge.
“The message is straightforward: don’t make assumptions. The players realize that I believe the game will be open as Liverpool comes here to try to shift the dynamic,” Real Madrid head coach Carlo Ancelotti said. “We must perform both attacking and defending properly. We shall not just protect, but we will also attack. The game is more difficult for us psychologically than it is for Liverpool. They come here to give it their all and do their best from the start, no matter what. That was evident from the first leg. We will do everything we can from the start, but we have more questions than the opponent.”
“Liverpool has a strong attacking squad. They played a major adversary and scored seven points, which shows me they can handle big moments, and we need to be conscious of that,” Real Madrid center-back Antonio Rudiger said. “Yet, as my former coach (Thomas Tuchel) stated when we played Real Madrid, everyone understands that Real Madrid is a very good counter-attacking team with Benzema and Vinicius and their ability. My coach told me that when you play against Real Madrid, you are playing against the badge, and they always prove that this emblem is something bigger.”
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