Yet another recent UEFA Champions League Final will be replayed in the round of 16 as Liverpool take on Real Madrid. Liverpool are still feeling the ramifications of that loss against Los Blancos back in May as Real Madrid once again showed that, even when they are not the best overall team, they have what it takes to pull through and get the result. Liverpool are looking to start their knockout campaign in the Champions League with a bang and eliminate one of the biggest teams in the competition. Both teams love to play their football on the front foot and we should thus be in for a thrilling encounter.
Join LV BET in this series of blogs where we are going into some detail about the Champions League round of 16 fixtures.
Liverpool
After the Champions League loss against Real Madrid, Liverpool sold off Sadio Mane and acquired the services of Darwin Nunez to help them bolster their attack, but the Uruguayan is yet to set the world alight. Jurgen Klopp has been given the green light on the transfer for Cody Gakpo, who will hopefully add more strength to their attack.
The only aspect that Liverpool needs to work on is the defensive shape, as it has been exposed so often this season. In the game against Napoli at the Maradona, the whole team had a woeful game and were thorn to shreds by a prolific and confident side, something that they can ill afford against a formidable side like Real Madrid.
The chances of Liverpool progressing to the quarter-finals are priced at 5/7 (1.72) with Jurgen Klopp’s side taking a lead to the second leg priced at 19/20 (1.95). At Anfield, we are expecting goals so we are pricing over 2.50 goals at 5/8 (1.62).
Real Madrid
You can never discount the powers of Real Madrid in the Champions League, as they somehow always manage to get themselves into the semi-finals of the competition. Having Carlo Ancellotti as the manager helps a lot in having a disciplined squad while also building a team for the future. Players such as Camavinga and Tchouameni are slowly being integrated into the squad as they become the mainstay in midfield, replacing veterans Luka Modric and Toni Kroos.
Whilst doing this transition in one of the most important areas of the pitch, Real Madrid have managed to remain competitive both in the domestic and international competitions. Karim Benzema together with Vinicious Junior have tormented defences and especially Liverpool—they both love a goal against the Reds.
We are all expecting a very entertaining match in both legs and Real Madrid are priced at 11/10 (2.10) to be the team to make it through to the next round. Los Blancos are priced at 11/14 (3.75) to earn a draw at Anfield setting them up for a great finale at home.
Betting Tips
Make sure to keep in mind that the away goal rule has been scrapped in previous competitions, so keep this in mind when you placing a bet on who to qualify.
Both teams have enjoyed a great time in the Champions Leageu in recent years and it’s tough to call out a winner, as a lot of small details might change the course of the tie. Experience in the competition is aplenty in both camps and managers but we are more inclined on a Liverpool win and we are pricing the first encounter to have a scoreline of 3-1 for Liverpool at 13/2 (7.50)
LV BET
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*Odds subject to change. Odds correct at time of publishing