The Reds trail 5-2 on aggregate going into Wednesday's Champions League last-16 second leg at the Santiago Bernabeu but all is not lost…
It is with a sense of hope, rather than belief, that Liverpool supporters have begun to descend on Madrid this week.
Their club’s history may be littered with the improbable and the incredible, especially when it comes to European football, but even the most optimistic Reds fans understands that this latest Mission: Impossible is likely to prove, well, impossible.
Trailing 5-2 from the first leg of their Champions League last-16 tie, Liverpool head to the Santiago Bernabeu, home of 14-time winners (and defending champions) Real Madrid, on Wednesday night knowing they require a performance, a result and an occasion that would rival any in its 131-year existence.
📺 Watch Champions League games on Paramount+ in the U.S.💻 Watch Champions League games on BT Sport in the UK⚽️ Where to watch Real Madrid vs Liverpool
Can they do it? Logic tells you no. Real, after all, were ruthless in exposing the many flaws of Jurgen Klopp’s side at Anfield last month, and the Spanish giants have won five of the last six meetings between the teams, including a 1-0 triumph in last season’s final.
Liverpool couldn’t even get a result on the road at Bournemouth last weekend, losing 1-0 to a team which had started the day bottom of the Premier League. The inconsistency of Klopp’s men this season has been little short of staggering.
But logic also tells you that if anyone can pull off a miracle, it’s Liverpool. Few clubs have such a reputation when it comes to comebacks, big European nights and big European wins.
With that in mind, GOAL looks to find some hope for Reds supporters…
GettyLessons from history
Monchengladbach. Rome. Istanbul. Auxerre. Dortmund. Barcelona.
When it comes to great European fightbacks, Liverpool has its own library, never mind its own chapter.
There is something about those continental ties, those continental nights, which stirs the Reds into life.
Often, it must be said, their great deeds have been done at Anfield, with the fervent backing of their home supporters. They won’t have that at the Bernabeu, of course.
But they’ve done it away from home too. They won a European Cup by beating Roma in their own stadium, and came from 3-0 down to defeat an AC Milan side managed by current Real Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti in Istanbul in 2005.
Perhaps Klopp’s words ahead of their last great European miracle, the semi-final win over Barcelona in 2019, could come in handy again this time.
“If it was anybody else, it would be impossible,” he told his players before that game. “But because it’s you, we have a chance.”
Advertisement(C)Getty ImagesThe firepower is there
If Liverpool are to go through, they know they need to score at least three goals.
Fortunately, they have the tools to do exactly that.
Saturday’s tame defeat to Bournemouth aside, the Reds’ forward line has been looking impressive in recent weeks, never more so than in the 7-0 win over Manchester United, when Cody Gakpo, Darwin Nunez and Mohamed Salah each scored twice, with Roberto Firmino emerging off the bench to add a late cake-topper.
With Diogo Jota fit again, the Reds have at least five potential match-winners in their squad – and more if Luis Diaz is deemed fit enough to feature on the bench.
And they have already hit 11 goals in three Champions League away matches this season, including seven at Rangers and three at Ajax.
The less said about the other game, a 4-1 thumping at Napoli in September, the better…
(C)Getty ImagesBig games are Liverpool's currency
It is hard to ignore the inconsistencies running through Liverpool’s season.
Defeats to the likes of Nottingham Forest, Leeds United, Brighton, Brentford, Wolves and now Bournemouth have left Klopp’s side struggling to finish in the Premier League’s top four – a season after they were challenging for every major trophy under the sun.
But even amid the struggles, it is clear that big games bring out the best in this group of players.
That was evident with the thrashing of United last week, it was evident in the win over Manchester City in October, and in big away wins against Tottenham and Newcastle, rivals for Champions League qualification.
Liverpool are one of only three teams to have beaten Serie A leaders Napoli this season, they beat Rangers and Ajax home and away, and they were too good for neighbours Everton in a tense Merseyside derby last month.
GettyChelsea should have done it
It is easy to forget now, given everything that has happened since, but last April, Thomas Tuchel’s Chelsea were 10 minutes away from recording the exact result Liverpool need in the Bernabeu this Wednesday.
Beaten 3-1 at Stamford Bridge in the first leg of their quarter-final, few gave the Blues a chance as they headed for Spain, but Chelsea were outstanding, scoring early through Mason Mount and adding a second after half-time courtesy of Antonio Rudiger.
And when Timo Werner made it 3-0 with just 15 minutes remaining, Tuchel’s side were on their way through.
Luka Modric, though, had other ideas, producing a glorious assist for Rodrygo. Karim Benzema then scored what turned out to be the decisive goal in extra time, and Real were into the semi-finals.
