Steven Gerrard knows Liverpool has a new weapon in its Champions League battle with Real Madrid, but Luka Modrić has already made a compelling counterpoint.
On 10 March 2009, Rafael Benítez’s Liverpool hosted Juande Ramos’ Real Madrid in the second leg of the Champions League round of 16.
The Reds carried a 1-0 aggregate lead into the game after Yossi Benayoun’s late goal in the first leg at the Santiago Bernabéu.
And within 30 minutes, the tie would be effectively settled as Fernando Torres applied a simple finish following Dirk Kuyt’s cut-back, and Steven Gerrard scored from the spot after a handball from Gabriel Heinze.
Gerrard would score again early in the second half, converting Ryan Babel’s low cross, and left-back Andrea Dossena slotted home in the final minutes to make it 4-0 and complete one of the most iconic wins in the club’s history.
Only once in the 14 years since, though, has Liverpool had the opportunity to play Real Madrid in front of its own fans.
That was in the 2014/15 campaign when the two teams were drawn into Group B, with Real Madrid scoring all three of its goals in the first half and cruising to victory.
The gulf in quality between Brendan Rodgers’ side — which finished below Swiss minnows Basel and dropped out in the group stage — and Carlo Ancelotti’s eventual semi-finalists was enormous.
Liverpool may be down in eighth in the Premier League right now, but its performances in this year’s group stage — it amassed 15 points out of 18 — prove it is a far worthier opponent for Los Blancos this time around.
After taking on Real at neutral venues in the 2017/18 and 2021/22 finals, and facing it behind closed doors in the 20/21 quarter-finals, it can finally tap into the fabled power of Anfield once again.
This, of course, has fueled some remarkable upsets and comebacks under Jürgen Klopp, most notably the 4-3 win over Borussia Dortmund in 2016, the 4-0 triumph against Manchester City in 2018 and the 4-0 classic against Barcelona a year later.
Klopp has recognized that it is a crucial asset for his team, attempting to rally the supporters in his pre-match press conference on Monday.
“It will be a special game,” Klopp said (via This is Anfield). “I expect Anfield on their toes, to be honest.
“I’m happy for the people that they saw us in better shape last two games, they have more things to look forward to. Let’s go together again.”
The flip side for Liverpool, of course, is that Real Madrid will also have the luxury of hosting Liverpool at the Bernabéu for the first time since 2014.
And Real is perhaps the only team in Europe that boasts a stronger aura than the Reds in this competition, having won it on a record 14 occasions, at least seven times more than anybody else.
Teams draw belief from their heritage in the Champions League, and Real Madrid will be able to tap into that unique edge once again.
Last season, it was staring at elimination in the first knockout round after Kylian Mbappé’s goal in Madrid gave PSG a 2-0 aggregate lead. With 30 minutes of normal time remaining, it looked bleak.
But Karim Benzema halved the deficit just after the hour and then sensationally scored two in two minutes to turn the tie on its head.
In the quarters, Chelsea threatened to beat Real Madrid at its own game, overturning a 3-1 first-leg deficit by going 3-0 up at the Bernabéu, but Rodrygo was able to take the game to extra time before Benzema saw his side through.
And finally, in the last four, Real was trailing 5-3 Manchester City on aggregate in the very last minute, only for Rodrygo to somehow score twice in 90 seconds to level it, and Benzema to emerge as his side’s savior once again in the extra period.
There had never been a Champions League run quite like it — three historic fightbacks in a row.
Clearly, extraordinary things happen at the Bernabéu too.
In all three cases, Real Madrid had home advantage for the second leg, just as it does this year after topping its group. That could be key.
“I always prefer to have the second leg at home,” Luka Modrić says (via The Mirror), “because at the Bernabéu we have seen so many times how the fans in the stand influence this kind of match.”
Even if Liverpool can pull out a victory in the first leg — and Klopp says it will have to be at its very best to do so — it has already been warned that no realistic margin is safe. In truth, the manager did not need Modrić to tell him that.
It will be fascinating to see how the respective home fanbases affect the dynamic of this match-up over the two legs.
