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European powerhouses Liverpool and Real Madrid are set to lock horns at Anfield in the second leg of their UEFA Champions League quarter-final tie.
The English and Spanish champions played out an entertaining first-leg encounter at the Estadio Alfredo Di Stefano last week, where the hosts emerged victorious by a scoreline of 3-1. Goals from Vinicius Jr on either side of a clever finish by Marco Asensio gave the Blancos a crucial two-goal lead.
It was a thoroughly dominant performance from Real Madrid, and the fact that they managed to deal with Liverpool's dangerous attack without the likes of Sergio Ramos and Raphael Varane makes it all the more impressive.
Liverpool could roar back into the tie and stun Real Madrid
Mohamed Salah gave Liverpool a precious away goal during the first leg, which, considering Liverpool's stunning European comebacks in the past, could prove to be a turning point in the tie. Liverpool are no strangers to overturning even the most outrageous deficits as they showed against Lionel Messi's Barcelona in 2019, when they won 4-0 at Anfield to reach the finals.
Jurgen Klopp's side are more than capable of the extraordinary and, given that Zinedine Zidane's men are ravaged by injuries at the moment, a comeback could be on the cards for the hosts.
As the Reds prepare to host their fabled opponents at Anfield on Tuesday, here is a look at five key battles that could define the outcome of the game.
#5 Ozan Kabak and Nat Phillips vs Karim Benzema
Despite being afforded a couple of goalscoring opportunities in the reverse fixture, Karim Benzema couldn't get on the scoresheet against Liverpool. That being said, he ran the show in the final third for the Blancos, constantly linking up with Vinicius Jr and troubled centre-backs Nat Phillips and Ozan Kabak with his movement in and around the box.
On the back of a piece of sheer brilliance to open the scoring in El Clasico — where he scored with a cheeky backheel finish — Benzema will look to continue his red hot form against the English champions.
Liverpool's rookie centre-back pairing of Kabak and Phillips kept the French striker out in the first leg and would have to be at their sharpest to deny him again. They blocked a total of six shots in the game, two of which were Benzema's, but were powerless to stop him from creating chances for his teammates and dragging players out of position. This is something else they have to be mindful of at Anfield if they hope to turn the tie around against Real Madrid.
#4 Diogo Jota vs Alvaro Odriozola
After already losing the likes of Sergio Ramos, Raphael Varane, and Dani Carvajal for the game, Real Madrid were dealt another blow as Lucas Vazquez has been ruled out of the season, leaving Alvaro Odriozola as the only option at right-back. This will come as great news for Diogo Jota, who is likely to come up against the Spaniard in the second leg.
Before his appearance in the Clasico to replace the injured Vazquez, Odriozola hadn't kicked a football since the sixth of February when he picked up an injury against Huesca. Heading into the Liverpool clash, there is a good possibility of the Real Madrid man being rusty and far from his best, giving an in-form Jota a great potential weakness to exploit.
The former Wolves man didn't have his greatest game at the Alfredo Di Stefano, but he heads into the second leg with six goals in his last six games for club and country, making him one of Liverpool's biggest threats as they look to overturn their deficit.
Also read: 5 Greatest big-game players in world football right now
#3 Thiago Alcantara vs Toni Kroos
The second leg could see a battle between two of Europe's finest midfielders in Toni Kroos and Thiago Alcantara. Thiago was a surprise omission for the fixture in the Spanish capital as Jurgen Klopp opted for Naby Keita to partner Fabinho and Gini Wijnaldum in midfield. However, with their place in the tournament on the line, Jurgen Klopp is likely to call upon his most experienced midfielder to bolster his midfield.
The former Barcelona man will lock horns with arguably the best deep-lying playmaker in world football, Kroos. The German's ability on the ball needs no introduction, and Kroos has been in excellent form this season which Liverpool found out the hard way. His raking long ball created the opener in the 3-1 game, and, even apart from the assist, Kroos was excellent on the night and outshone his Liverpool counterparts.
Both players will be tasked with controlling the tempo of their sides and ensuring that they dominate proceedings. The duel between the two midfield metronomes could be one of the most crucial battles at Anfield as the Reds, and Blancos vie for a place in the semi-finals.
#2 Mohamed Salah vs Ferland Mendy
Mohamed Salah has been Liverpool's best player this season by some distance. With a stunning 28 goals across all competitions, he's managed to keep the Reds' hunt for a seventh UCL crown and a top-four finish alive. If there's even the slimmest of chances for Liverpool to mount another monumental comeback at Anfield, it will be because of the vital away goal the Egyptian scored in Madrid.
While he generally plays off the right-hand side of their attack (barring a surprise tactical change from Klopp), and it will be up to Ferland Mendy to keep a watchful eye on the 28-year-old. The French full-back had put up a solid display at the Alfredo Di Stefano. Apart from being defensively sound, Mendy ventured forward at every possible opportunity and caused Trent Alexander-Arnold a lot of problems. He also made a superb last-ditch tackle to prevent Salah from scoring.
Salah's searing pace and composure in front of goal will be vital for Klopp's side as in full flow, he's a very difficult player to stop. If the Frenchman manages to replicate his display at Anfield, it could help the Blancos deal with the Reds' devastating attack's biggest threat.
#1 Trent Alexander-Arnold vs Vinicius Jr
Ahead of their showdown in Madrid, there were whispers from Spain that Zidane tasked his men with exploiting the space left behind by Trent Alexander-Arnold during the game. Merely five minutes into it, it was evident that this was the case as Real Madrid constantly found themselves in acres of space on their left. Vinicius Jr and Ferland Mendy doubled up on the Englishman every time he bombed down the pitch the hosts punished Liverpool on the counter.
The Brazilian exploited Alexander-Arnold to put in arguably his best display in a Real Madrid shirt, and it will be interesting to see if the full-back responds strongly. Vinicius scored twice on the night, but his side could have had a few more as well. The English defender succumbed to the pressure and committed a costly error leading up to the second goal as he headed the ball into Marco Asensio's path.
Heading into the reverse fixture at Anfield, the duel between Alexander-Arnold and Vinicius Jr is certainly the most fascinating one after the events of the first leg. It will be interesting to see if the Liverpool man responds in style after a nightmare first-leg display, or if Vinicius builds on his good form and puts in another fantastic shift against Alexander-Arnold.
Also read: 5 Best deep-lying playmakers in the world this season (2020/21)
