Champions League Round of 16: Real Madrid vs. Liverpool Preview, Odds, Predictions

Liverpool travels to Madrid to square off with Real in the second leg of the UEFA Champions League Round of 16. They will have to pull out a miracle against the team that defeated them in the last year’s finals because Real has a three-goal lead. On top of that, the Reds lost to Bournemouth on Saturday, again displaying massive inconsistency. As for the Los Blancos, Ancelotti’s crew slowed down over the past ten days, but snapped out of it with a win over Espanyol this weekend. 

Real Madrid vs. Liverpool Preview

Real Madrid (+125) had three games in a row without a win before triumphing 3-1 against Espanyol on Saturday afternoon. It didn’t open well for the hosts at Bernabeu, who were down 0-1, yet they managed to flip the result quickly and restore the balance on the field in their favor. 

After two La Liga ties against Atletico Madrid and Betis and a tough loss in the Copa del Rey semis when Barca triumphed in Madrid, 0-1. It was a hard slap in the face for Ancelotti’s crew which finally responded as expected.

Real might be a bit tired, and all the injuries which struck their roster probably had a negative impact on the form of certain individuals. They allowed Barca to get away in La Liga, which is why we believe that Los Blancos want to attack the Champions League with full power.

Liverpool (+200) again made their fans feel frustrated and helpless. After demolishing Manchester United 7-0, they lost to Bournemouth 1-0. It is a perfect display of Liverpool’s campaign so far, with them having incredibly distant highs and lows. 

Mo Salah missed a penalty kick and a chance to level the score, and afterward, the Reds had a few more opportunities to net, but none of them was too dangerous, to be honest. 

Liverpool is mediocre on the road this year. In the past ten outings, Jurgen Klopp’s crew was defeated six times, there was one tie, and the Reds triumphed in three events. Liverpool couldn’t score in three of the previous four contests away from Anfield, Liverpool couldn’t score. 

Real Madrid vs. Liverpool Latest News

Karim Benzema should be ready for the game. The French player received the knock in practice last week but quickly recovered. Ferland Mendy is questionable as well, while David Alaba won’t play for sure. 

Liverpool can’t count on Naby Keita, Joe Gomez, Thiago and Luis Diaz, and all of them are out for a long time. 

Real Madrid vs. Liverpool Head to Head Games

The first meeting saw one of the weirdest games lately. Liverpool took a 2-0 lead within the opening 15 minutes and then allowed five consecutive goals, which is incredible. Also, the previous game between these teams was in the most recent UEFA Champions Finals, and Real won that event 1-0. These two powerhouses met in three UCL finals, and Liverpool had one triumph while Real posted two.

Real Madrid vs. Liverpool Prediction

This game is bound to see plenty of goals because of the nature of these two units. Liverpool needs to attack to try to make a miracle, while Real always imposes its own style of play at Bernabeu, which would be. That’s why over 2.5 goals are the best possible pick here, with the addition of both teams netting. 

Pick: Both teams to score and Over 2.5 goals -166