On Liverpool They have started the week with enthusiasm. To the three points obtained the weekend against Aston Villa, thanks to a goal from Alexander-Arnold In discount time, a national news item was added: on Monday the severe confinement ended in England and shops reopened, including bars, although only their terraces, which were full from the first hour of the day. It is already known, and more so in Liverpool, that there is no unscathed celebration of a beer.
The hours before the arrival of Real Madrid are faced with hope. The result of 3-1 in Valdebebas is bulky, but the goal away from home and the possibility of playing the second leg in Anfield, where they have already reaped historic comebacks, give rise to optimism. In 2019, a resounding 3-0 of the Barcelona in the first leg, while in 2016 it was possible to eliminate Borussia Dortmund on the Europa League when the Germans had a 1-3 in favor with half an hour to go (a heroic Liverpool ended up winning 4-3).
Until Saturday's win against Aston Villa the Reds had racked up six losses and a draw at Anfield in 2021, with just one goal in favor. It is true that before him RB Leipzig, in the round of 16, they won at home … but it was not played at Anfield, but at Hungary. In other words: the first time Liverpool have scored two goals at Anfield in four months was this weekend, just with the minimum amount of goals that they must score against Zidane's if they want to shoot away.
Someone who knows both teams well is Rafa BenitezAlthough he said that “if you score a goal you are back in the tie”, he regretted the absence of the public at Anfield, the gasoline for Klopp's team: “They cannot depend on the fans giving them that extra bonus. According to me experience, Anfield fans are a big factor in these European nights and it has been one of the reasons for their success, without a doubt, “explained Rafa.
One of the protagonists of the last days has been Alexander-Arnold, whose goal against Aston Villa, a shot from outside the area, also served as vindication. The English side fell from the last list of England because of his performance decline, argued this way by Southgate, and appeared in the photo of Asensio's goal in the first leg, something that Klopp also recognized: “Against Real Madrid we are not going to hide the second goal, of course, but that's how football is. He doesn't have to prove anything to us.”
For its part, the emergency center Nat Phillips, who had never imagined being a starter in a Champions League quarter-final, valued last weekend's comeback as proof of what they must do tonight at Anfield: “We continue to push, we continue to believe and we continue to support each other. each other. There has been a great atmosphere. “