Just as Dundee United have Barcelona’s number - four competitive matches, four wins! - so Liverpool are the bosses of Real Madrid. The two clubs have 15 European Cups between them, but rather surprisingly have only played each other three times in all competitions. And Liverpool have won all three. They emerged kings of the Parc des Princes in the 1981 European Cup final, Alan Kennedy and all that. They won 1-0 at the Bernabeu in the first leg of a last-16 Champions League tie in 2009, Yossi Benayoun the hero there. And they utterly trounced Real 4-0 in the return leg of that rubber seven days later; Fernando Torres and Steven Gerrard did most of the damage, although Andrea Dossena is the man everyone remembers from that one.
Will Liverpool keep hold of their 100% record against Real after tonight’s highly anticipated encounter at Anfield? Time will tell, but the portents aren’t good. The red machine has been misfiring so far this season, Mario Balotelli a non-event up front, Gerrard looking leggy in midfield, the defence all over the shop, Simon Mignolet still unconvincing in goal. Their performance at QPR at the weekend was ... well, there’s no point piling on, everyone’s already had their say about that. Compare and contrast to Carlo Ancelotti’s European champions. They’ve won their last seven domestic and European games, a run which has included two 5-0s, two 5-1s, an 8-2, and 14 goals for Cristiano Ronaldo alone. Add in the fact that Madrid are unbeaten in their last three trips to Premier League opposition, while Liverpool have only won four of 14 home matches against Spanish sides, and Brendan Rodgers team have quite a job on this evening.
But this sort of test is what European football is all about. And Liverpool are all about European football. This is their first big-name encounter in the Champions League for five years, since - yes - that 4-0 win over Real. What they’d give for another famous win which would kickstart their season and give them some much-needed confidence for the rest of their Champions League campaign. Real, meanwhile, will have payback on their minds. Whatever happens to Liverpool’s pristine record over Real, this could be an encounter for the ages. It’s on!
Kick off: 7.45pm in Liverpool, 8.45pm in Madrid.
