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 at Anfield.
Since then, Los Merengues went three without a win before a victory over RCD Espanyol with Barcelona getting the better of their bitter rivals in the Copa del Rey semifinal first leg as well as draws with Atletico Madrid and Real Betis. Liverpool ripped Manchester United to shreds 7-0 and also beat Wolverhampton Wanderers yet lost to Bournemouth and drew with Crystal Palace.
Benzema was rested for the Espanyol win as Vinicius Jr and Militao did the damage along with Marco Asensio yet they still fell behind early in that one too and trail Barca by nine points in La Liga ahead of this weekend's Clasico. The only time that Real have not advanced after winning a Champions League knockout opening leg away from home on 27 occasions was once to Ajax back in 2019.
Liverpool remain consistently inconsistent after their unexpected loss to Bournemouth which enabled Tottenham Hotspur to take a six-point lead in the chase for fourth spot and UCL qualification -- albeit with a game in hand. Salah's missed penalty was symptomatic of the Reds' season where both Jekyll and Hyde have shown themselves with fairly equal measure so Klopp and his players will have to hope to channel the spirit of 2019 when they overturned a 3-0 first leg deficit to beat Barca 4-3 to advance.
However, that was at Anfield and Liverpool's traveling record in 2023 is not impressive with two wins from eight and a seven-game winless run against Real since their 2009 quarterfinal success which ended 4-0. Also, factor in some untimely midfield absences such as Jordan Henderson and Stefan Bajcetic and it promises to be the tallest of orders in Spain this midweek.
How to watch and odds
Date: Wednesday, Mar. 15 | Time: 4 p.m. ET
Location: Estadio Santiago Bernabeu -- Madrid
TV: None | Live stream: Paramount+
Odds: RMA +130; Draw +270; LIV +180 (via Caesars Sportsbook)
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Wednesday's broadcast schedule
(All times U.S./Eastern)
- UEFA Champions League Today, 3 p.m., Paramount+
- Napoli vs. Frankfurt, 4 p.m., Paramount+
- Real Madrid vs. Liverpool, 4 p.m., Paramount+
- UEFA Champions League Post-Match Show, 6 p.m., Paramount+
