Real Madrid's superstars were expecting a "brutally difficult" trip to face Liverpool last time they travelled to Anfield - but their fears were misplaced as they inflicted a 5-2 defeat.
Having faced off in a closely-fought encounter in the Champions League final in Paris in the previous June, another tight battle was expected when the teams faced off in February 2023. The occasion that time was the Round of 16 of Europe's premier cup competition, with the scene set for another memorable clash.
However, it would be fair to say that the first leg of the tie is remembered on Merseyside for all the wrong reasons as Carlo Ancelotti's side ran riot in front of the Kop. Racing into a two-goal lead through Darwin Nunez and Mohamed Salah with 15 minutes, hopes of a famous Anfield night evaporated in sobering style.
Raheem Sterling latest as former Liverpool man seeks deadline day transfer from Chelsea Liverpool handed boost as key Manchester United player ruled out of Sunday's gameLos Blancos winger Vinícius Júnior soon levelled the scores before half-time, before Éder Militão put the visitors into the lead. From there, Madrid showed their ruthlessness as forward Karim Benzema struck twice to inflict one worst defeats in the Reds' European history.
Madrid's players had come into proceedings expecting a difficult test on Merseyside, though, with David Alaba chief among those who had forecast as stern battle. Before the game, he said: We know that the game against Liverpool in the Champions League will be brutally difficult.
"It's going to be a fantastic round of 16," the Austrian legend continued, saying: "The games against Liverpool are always real fights, they are one of the best teams in the world. It will be a difficult task, but we want to go to the next round."
Fast forward nearly 19 months and the two clubs are set to face off once more in the Champions League, with new Liverpool head coach Arne Slot tasked with potentially avenging their last encounter. With Madrid set to head to Anfield again in the new league phase of the Champions League, the game presents an opportunity for the new boss to put down an early marker in his reign.
Assessing the size of the challenge facing him and his team, he said: "The first thing to say is it is a very challenging draw but also a very exciting one and more important than anything, we are part of it – which means there is a lot to look forward to and also a lot of work to be done.
"There will be a lot of focus on the fixture against Real Madrid at Anfield, and rightly so because they are the holders of the competition, but at the same time there is so much quality among our other opponents that we will spread our attention evenly and take each game as it comes.
Slot added: "For now, we will look forward and, as I said, keep working because there are a lot of games to come in the Premier League and in the Champions League, and the only way to approach them is one at a time."
