Jurgen Klopp, manager of Liverpool, claims he has no problem drawing holders Real Madrid in the Champions League last 16 and is looking forward to the match.
Real Madrid and Liverpool, last year’s Champions League finalists, were paired up in this season’s round of 16.
The current European and LaLiga champions will visit Anfield in February because Liverpool finished second in their group behind Napoli.
Real Madrid defeated the Reds 1-0 in the 2022 final in Paris in May, a game overshadowed by organizational issues that forced a postponement of kickoff.
Jurgen Klopp, manager of Liverpool, stated on the club’s official website: “This is a tie that speaks for itself and one that we should all be excited about.”
“Real’s European record is the best around. We know this. But we also know that ours is not too bad. On top of this, we know that we have Anfield and everyone knows what this means.”
“It is a really good draw. A really exciting draw. The games themselves are still a few months away, but it does not take a great deal of imagination to think what the atmosphere will be like at both games.”
Manchester City, the 2021 Champions League finalists and champions of the Premier League, will play German team RB Leipzig, who finished fourth in the Bundesliga last year, in the round of 16.
Tottenham, who won their group when Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg scored a dramatic goal away at Marseille, has been paired with Italian champions AC Milan, with the first leg taking place at San Siro.
In the round of 16, 2012 and 2021 champion Chelsea will face off against Bundesliga runner-up Borussia Dortmund.
The dates for the first leg of ties are February 14, 15, 21, and 22, and the dates for the second leg are March 7, 8, and 14.
What did Jurgen Klopp say?
The finals for 2018 and 2022 will be somewhat replayed after Monday’s draw, and even while Jurgen Klopp acknowledged that there is still much to be done before they meet, he expressed excitement about going up against Real Madrid one more.
In the Round of 16 of the Champions League, Liverpool will play Real Madrid.
Specifically responding to Liverpoolfc.com, the manager stated: “Real’s European record is the best around. We know this. But we also know that ours is not too bad. On top of this, we know that we have Anfield and everyone knows what this means.”
What next for Klopp and Liverpool?
Real defeated Liverpool in the 2018 and 2022 Champions League finals, with Vinicius Jr. scoring the game-winning goal in the latter match. Liverpool will be seeking retribution against Real.
The Reds have two more games left before the World Cup break. They will play Derby in the EFL Cup on Wednesday and Southampton in the Premier League on Saturday.
Will Liverpool defeat Real Madrid this time?
Liverpool is scheduled to play Everton at Anfield on February 11 or 12 (the exact date will depend on TV scheduling, as usual), with Newcastle United (away) the following weekend. The 25th of February is Crystal Palace’s away week.
Liverpool will host Manchester United on March 4 and 5 before traveling to Bournemouth the following weekend for the return leg. On March 18, Fulham will visit Anfield.
Instead of Everton and Newcastle, followed by Manchester United and Bournemouth, UEFA’s scheduling has done Klopp a favor by placing Liverpool’s match against Real Madrid between matchups against Newcastle and Crystal Palace and then Bournemouth and Fulham.
The larger matches are a little more evenly spaced out so that Real Madrid isn’t played in the same week as the Merseyside derby and Manchester United isn’t played in the same week as Manchester City.
Even if Liverpool would have preferred to play a team less accustomed to moving forward in Europe, the draw itself was not the best; nonetheless, there is at least some good to come from the dates of the matches.
Given their season’s start, Liverpool must concentrate on improving their Premier League standing in order to qualify for the Champions League again. Their victory over Spurs has improved their standing.
Liverpool may look drastically different by the time this season’s knockout stage rolls around, but Real Madrid will continue to dominate at all levels.
