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

Liverpool and Real Madrid are football titans and arguably two of the biggest teams on the continent for many. They’ve had plenty of clashes in the past, some of them near the future, which were always incredibly interesting. In the recent year, they’ve met in the UEFA Champions League finals twice and are about to clash in the same competition again. This isn’t the finals, but a triumph is equally important as it allows the winner to stay in the race for the title.

Liverpool vs. Real Madrid Preview

Liverpool (+130) won back-to-back games, which is extremely important for Jurgen Klopp’s team, who has been struggling with form this year. Since the beginning of the campaign, Liverpool has underachieved and posted poor results. 

After beating Everton in the Merseyside Derby, 2-0, the Reds were better than Newcastle at the St.Mary’s stadium, 0-2. They are the only team in the Premiership to defeat the Magpies this season.

Three clean sheets in the previous five events are incredibly important and encouraging things for the Reds. The defense has been an Achilles heel for Klopp this year, with Liverpool conceding goals in a vast majority of the games. Virgil Van Dijk’s comeback will have a major impact on the back line, because the Dutchman is its heart and soul.

Real Madrid (+200) failed to win a couple of games in La Liga, which later allowed Barcelona to pull away from the champs and create a solid gap in the standings. In the meantime, Real won the FIFA Club World Cup, and boosted its morale with four victories in a row, in which they netted 15 goals. 

Their latest two La Liga games saw clean sheets, as Los Blancos defeated Elche, 4-0, and Osasuna, 0-2. We need to remind you that Real had plenty of injuries ravaging the roster and the majority of those players are now back in training and ready to play. 

Of the past six road games, Real won five. In all but one, the European champs scored at least two goals, and overall, Los Blancos’ attack has been pretty effective this season.

Liverpool vs. Real Madrid Latest News

Arthur, Luis Diaz, and Thiago are out for the Reds in this one, but Jota comes back, as well as the above-mentioned Van Dijk. 

Benzema is questionable before this event due to his muscle injury. Mariano Diaz, Tony Kroos, Ferland Meny, and Ariel Tchouameni are all our for the clash at Anfield. 

Liverpool vs. Real Madrid Head to Head 

Real has had much more success in recent games. In 2018 and the 2022 UEFA Champions League finals, Los Blancos won 3-1 and 1-0. In the 2021 UCL quarter-finals, Real eliminated Real, winning the first game 3-1 and then getting out with a goalless draw in Liverpool. 

Liverpool vs. Real Madrid Prediction

Even though Liverpool improved its defense, we expect to see them concede at least once because Real’s attack is one of the best in the world. That’s with or without Benzema. On the other side, the Reds have a powerful offense as well, and they, too, are to score in this clash. The odds on both teams scoring are -195, while both teams to score and over 2.5 goals are -125, which would be our pick here. 

Pick: Both teams to score and over 2.5 goals -125

Here are Europa League previews:

• Manchester United vs. Barcelona

Here are more previews for the UCL Round of 16:

• RB Leipzig vs. Manchester City
• Inter vs. Porto
• Eintracht Frankfurt vs. Napoli