Match Today: Real Madrid vs Liverpool 21-02-2023 UEFA Champions League

Liverpool will face Real Madrid in a repeat of the 2021/22 Champions League final, this time they will meet in the round of sixteen after Liverpool finished second in their group and Real Madrid won them both.

Liverpool have had an erratic season and may even need to win the Champions League this season to be in Europe's biggest club competition in 2023/24. They've shown some signs of a return to form and are struggling to win at home in Europe. Real Madrid are now eight points behind Barcelona. La Liga leaders, they're in good shape and they're scoring a lot of goals.

This must have been a great European night at Anfield. Liverpool are eighth in the Premier League, but have won their last two matches. A 2-0 home win over Everton was followed by an impressive 2-0 win over Newcastle United with both goals scored in the first 17 minutes. Darwin and Jakobo both play goalscoring, but it's the two clean sheets that will please Klopp.

Two consecutive clean sheets have been kept at Anfield but against struggling Chelsea and Everton, Real Madrid will pose a tougher threat to them. Liverpool have won all three of their group games at home with only Ajax scoring against them. All of their last four Champions League matches have been won at home with Inter winning only in The last 12 matches.

Real Madrid are second in La Liga and are struggling to stay in the competition. They won their last outing 2-0 at Osasuna and have now scored 15 goals in their last four league and cup matches. While Real Madrid are top of their group in the Champions League, they have had their form on Their land thanks to that with three wins and nine goals.

On the road, Real Madrid picked up just four points from three matches, both teams scoring in two of those matches away at Shakhtar and in the 3-2 loss at Leipzig, Real Madrid have scored in nine of their last ten away matches in the Champions League.

Liverpool hope that Darwin Nunez will be fit for this match against Real Madrid, and he had to come off in Saturday's match against Newcastle after suffering a shoulder injury, we hope that intensive treatment can face Real Madrid.

If he is unable to play, a likely replacement would be Roberto Firmino or Diogo Jota, oh how they wish Mane hadn't been sold. Cody Jakobo is in top form and will start again for Liverpool. Teenager Stefan Bagcetic will likely be in the starting line-up again.

Real Madrid fears fitness for Karim Benzine. He did not play against Osasuna due to muscle fatigue. He is expected to play against Liverpool and may benefit from the rest. They will be without midfielders Toni Kroos and Aurelien Choameni, both of whom are ill. Instead, they will play Dani Ceballos and Eduardo Camavinga.