Liverpool vs Real Madrid: 5 Key battles to watch out for | UEFA Champions League 2020/21
European powerhouses Liverpool and Real Madrid are set to lock horns at Anfield in the second leg of their UEFA Champions League quarter-final tie.
The English and Spanish champions played out an entertaining first-leg encounter at the Estadio Alfredo Di Stefano last week, where the hosts emerged victorious by a scoreline of 3-1. Goals from Vinicius Jr on either side of a clever finish by Marco Asensio gave the Blancos a crucial two-goal lead.
It was a thoroughly dominant performance from Real Madrid, and the fact that they managed to deal with Liverpool's dangerous attack without the likes of Sergio Ramos and Raphael Varane makes it all the more impressive.
Liverpool could roar back into the tie and stun Real Madrid
Mohamed Salah gave Liverpool a precious away goal during the first leg, which, considering Liverpool's stunning European comebacks in the past, could prove to be a turning point in the tie. Liverpool are no strangers to overturning even the most outrageous deficits as they showed against Lionel Messi's Barcelona in 2019, when they won 4-0 at Anfield to reach the finals.
Jurgen Klopp's side are more than capable of the extraordinary and, given that Zinedine Zidane's men are ravaged by injuries at the moment, a comeback could be on the cards for the hosts.
As the Reds prepare to host their fabled opponents at Anfield on Tuesday, here is a look at five key battles that could define the outcome of the game.
#5 Ozan Kabak and Nat Phillips vs Karim Benzema
Despite being afforded a couple of goalscoring opportunities in the reverse fixture, Karim Benzema couldn't get on the scoresheet against Liverpool. That being said, he ran the show in the final third for the Blancos, constantly linking up with Vinicius Jr and troubled centre-backs Nat Phillips and Ozan Kabak with his movement in and around the box.
On the back of a piece of sheer brilliance to open the scoring in El Clasico — where he scored with a cheeky backheel finish — Benzema will look to continue his red hot form against the English champions.
Liverpool's rookie centre-back pairing of Kabak and Phillips kept the French striker out in the first leg and would have to be at their sharpest to deny him again. They blocked a total of six shots in the game, two of which were Benzema's, but were powerless to stop him from creating chances for his teammates and dragging players out of position. This is something else they have to be mindful of at Anfield if they hope to turn the tie around against Real Madrid.
#4 Diogo Jota vs Alvaro Odriozola
After already losing the likes of Sergio Ramos, Raphael Varane, and Dani Carvajal for the game, Real Madrid were dealt another blow as Lucas Vazquez has been ruled out of the season, leaving Alvaro Odriozola as the only option at right-back. This will come as great news for Diogo Jota, who is likely to come up against the Spaniard in the second leg.
Before his appearance in the Clasico to replace the injured Vazquez, Odriozola hadn't kicked a football since the sixth of February when he picked up an injury against Huesca. Heading into the Liverpool clash, there is a good possibility of the Real Madrid man being rusty and far from his best, giving an in-form Jota a great potential weakness to exploit.
The former Wolves man didn't have his greatest game at the Alfredo Di Stefano, but he heads into the second leg with six goals in his last six games for club and country, making him one of Liverpool's biggest threats as they look to overturn their deficit.
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