Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti has told his players to not think the game between themselves and Liverpool is a done deal as the two European heavyweights head into the return leg of their Champions League last sixteen tie at the Santiago Bernabeu.
The Spanish giants enter Wednesday’s game in a pleasant fashion following their resounding 5-2 win over Jurgen Klopp’s team in the first leg of this tie at Anfield three weeks ago.
A huge advantage they hold, but the Italian who once watched his team falter against the same opponent in 2005 when Liverpool came three goals down to beat AC Milan 3-2 on penalities (normal time ending 3-3) to lift the Champions League trophy has sent a warning to his players.
“The message is quite simple: not to assume,” Ancelotti said. “The players understand that I think it will be an open match as Liverpool come here trying to change the dynamic.
“We have to do both things, attacking and defending, properly. We will not just defend, we are thinking about the attack.”
History is against Liverpool. The only time they have been able to overturn a three-goal first-leg deficit in any European competition was in the Champions League semifinals in 2019 against Barcelona – that game ending 4-0.
Despite that being the case, Ancelotti thinks they face a more difficult situation than their opponents.
“From a psychological level, the match is more complex for us than Liverpool.
“Liverpool come here to give it their all and do their best from minute one, whatever happens. We saw that from the first leg.
“We will try to do all we can from the beginning, but we have more questions than the opponent.”
Ancelotti may say what he said, but things don’t look pretty for the English side. No team in the Champions League history has ever lost the home leg of a knock-out tie by three goals and recovered. And they go into this game not in the very best of moods as they lost their last game, the loss coming against lowly Bournemouth in the Premier League.
