Jurgen Klopp’s youngsters finished second in Group A behind Italian powerhouses Napoli to create a reunion with the defending champions who beat Celtic, Shakhtar Donetsk and RB Leipzig to top spot in Group F.

While Vinicius Junior’s winner and Thibaut Courtois’ sensational save streak dominated the conversation on the pitch during last season’s Champions League final between Liverpool and Real Madrid, the match at the Stade de France will forever be overshadowed by the heartbreaking scenes that Reds fans find themselves in. parked outside the goals and subjected to tear gas before the game.

Unsubstantiated allegations have surfaced from authorities about fans arriving late with fake tickets causing the disruption, but an independent report has since cleared Liverpool supporters of any wrongdoing – and insisted the The ‘primary responsibility’ lies with UEFA – and Klopp’s loyal fanbase can look forward to Tuesday’s competition with renewed hope.

Very few teams will claim to have beaten Napoli this season, but only goal difference separated the two sides in the Group A table as Liverpool picked up 15 points from a possible 18 and five after the humiliating defeat 4 -1 consecutive won on the first day of play in the Partenopei. Back-to-back Premier League wins over Everton and Newcastle United – the latter thanks to the efforts of Darwin Nunez and Cody Gakpo – mean a top-four result for Liverpool, who appear to have reached a milestone, is not beyond the realm of possibility of a disastrous start to proceedings in 2023.

Klopp’s side have suffered just one Champions League Round of 16 defeat in the last five years – against Real’s close neighbors Atletico Madrid in 2019-20 – and the unbeaten streak Liverpool at Anfield now stands at a respectable seven games, but their pathetic record against their prized visitors is well documented.

Behind Chelsea, Paris Saint-Germain and Manchester City en route to a record 14th European title, Real Madrid must never be absent from continental competition, even if their group stage run was far from perfect.
A draw with Shakhtar Donetsk and a loss to RB Leipzig threatened Los Blancos’ qualification as group winners, but a 5-1 win over Celtic on the final day put the champions ahead of Leipzig at the top spot by just one point, and they’ve since added another. Club World Cup to their overflowing trophy case.

Carlo Ancelotti’s side claimed their fourth consecutive all-tournament victory on Saturday, beating Osasuna 2-0 in La Liga thanks to second-half goals from Federico Valverde and Marco Asensio – after just three shots on target in the first half – but your hopes of back-to-back La Liga and Champions League doubles are already in the balance. The gap to La Liga-top Barcelona is five points before the Blaugrana take charge of the game against Cadiz on Sunday night, and Real’s erratic form away from home also makes for enjoyable reading for Liverpool fans, as the Blancos have won just two of their last six away Champions League games.

Defeat to Real Madrid in last season’s final extended Liverpool’s winless run against the champions to six games – their longest ever winless run against a single Champions League opponent – but there’s a feeling much more exuberant among Anfield believers now that Klopp appears to have stopped the rot.

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Liverpool’s success against Newcastle at the weekend came at great cost, as Darwin Nunez was forced off just before the hour mark with a painful shoulder injury, and will be assessed further in the coming hours to determine his availability for Tuesday .

Should the Uruguayan be forced to miss, Diogo Jota and Roberto Firmino will engage in a fierce battle to complete the attack, and the former could win that head-to-head if Klopp decides to put Gakpo back in centre. Luis Diaz, Ibrahima Konate, Thiago Alcantara and Calvin Ramsay make up the rest of Liverpool’s confirmed absences, while Arthur still has his doubts as he recovers from hamstring surgery, leaving bubbly teenager Stefan Bajcetic looking forward to a well deserved start against the European champions.

Head to Head Data

Similarly, Real may be sweating their star striker Karim Benzema’s fitness after being ruled out of Osasuna clash with muscle fatigue, but Ancelotti expects the Ballon d’Or winner be fully recovered on Tuesday after enjoying all it takes. rest.

In more pressing matters, key midfield duo Aurelien Tchouameni and Toni Kroos are both ill and only the latter can leave the infirmary for Tuesday’s first leg as Tchouameni missed the last-minute showdown with Osasuna.

Left-back Ferland Mendy is out for a few more weeks with a hamstring injury and substitute striker Mariano Diaz also has an unspecified issue which could potentially make him unavailable, but Courtois – who made nine saves during the last year’s final – recovered from a hamstring issue. and will start as soon as he returns to the English lawn.

Injury list

Liverpool’s possible starting lineup:
Alison; Alexander-Arnold, Gomez, Van Dijk, Robertson; Bajcetic, Fabinho, Henderson; Salah Gakpo Iota

Possible Real Madrid starting line-up:
Courteous; Carvajal, Militao, Rudiger, Alaba; Kroos, Camavinga, Modric; Valverde, Benzema, Vinicius Jr.

We say Liverpool 2-2 Real Madrid

The outcome of Tuesday’s highly anticipated first leg could very well depend on how many players Klopp and Ancelotti can salvage from the treatment room, but an exciting showdown is yet to come. While Liverpool have picked up momentum at the right time and may discover Real’s fitness issues in midfield, Los Blancos must never be underestimated in the Champions League and should have Benzema fit and at the ready. fireproof during a fearsome attack, so we just can’t separate the two. continental giants and believe there is still everything to play at the Bernabeu next month.