Illustration photo – Liverpool v Real Madrid Champions League quarter-final second leg, Liverpool's Sadio Mané from right and Real's Federico Valverde and Eder Militao.
Liverpool/Frankfurt – Today, in the first round of the Champions League, Liverpool's players will welcome defending champion Real Madrid in a repeat of last year's final. In the next match, the sovereign leader of the Italian league, Napoli, will play at the stadium of Frankfurt, the reigning winner of the Europa League. Both matches kick-off at 21:00.
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Photo gallery: Football Champions League 2022/23
Real have dominated the last two Champions League finals with Liverpool. Last year in Paris they won 1:0 with a goal from Vinícius Júnior and in 2018 they triumphed in Kyiv 3:1. The “White Ballet” did not lose to the English opponent six times in a row in the elite competition, of which they won five matches. league Carlo Ancelotti, who will miss the sick midfielders Toni Kroos and Aurélien Tchouameni.
Liverpool started the autumn group with a 1-4 defeat to Napoli, but then won five in a row. After a poor start to the new calendar year, the “Reds” have won their last two league matches and improved to eighth place.
“We need to play two great games to progress. Real may not play brilliantly, but they will always have a chance . I'm very happy that we're playing in the round of 16 now and not a few weeks ago. I expect Anfield to be on their feet,” Liverpool coach Jürgen Klopp said.
Napoli leads the Italian league by 15 points and is within reach of its first title since 1990. Coach Luciano Spalletti's men also shone in the Champions League in the autumn, where they won five of six matches and were the most productive team in the group stage with 20 goals.
“Eintracht are as strong as us. We have already watched and studied them. It will be a big challenge. In such matches you are under more pressure, so it is much more difficult to play with ease and create chances,” said Spalletti.
< p>He has a lot of praise for the Serie A leaders in Frankfurt. “Napoli is not only strong in attack, they have a well-balanced team and concede few goals. They performed exceptionally in the group. They play with great intensity, aggressively, high pressing. We have to prepare for this,” said the coach of the sixth Bundesliga team, Oliver Glasner.
The rivals met twice in European cups in 1994 in the third round of the then UEFA Cup, Frankfurt won both matches 1:0.
Interesting things before Tuesday's opening matches of the round of 16 Football Champions League:
Eintracht Frankfurt – SSC Napoli
Kick-off: Tuesday 21 February, 21:00.
Referees: Dias – Soares, Ribeiro – Martins (video, all Portuguese)
Balance: 2 2-0-0 2:0.
Interesting points:
– the opponents have only met twice so far in 1994 in the 3rd round of the then UEFA Cup, Frankfurt won both matches 1:0
– Frankfurt has lost only 2 of 9 cup matches against Italian opponents (losing to them at home in the only one out of 5 matches)
– Napoli won only 6 out of 20 duels with German teams in cups
– Frankfurt is the reigning Europa League winner, debuting in the LM this season
– Napoli is in the last 16 of the LM after 3 seasons and the fourth time overall, at this stage they are winless in their last 5 matches and have never reached the quarter-finals
– Napoli won 5 out of 6 matches in the LM in the autumn, with 20 goals they were the most productive team in the group stage
– Frankfurt lost only 4 of the last 30 cup matches at home
– Napoli have lost only 3 of their last 20 matches in the Champions League
– Frankfurt have won 5 consecutive competitive games at home
– Napoli won the last 5 duels (all in the league) and conceded only one goal in them
– the Frankfurt trio Hasebe, Jakič, Smolčič and visiting Politano are in danger of being booked
– Frankfurt is in sixth in the Bundesliga table, Napoli leads the Italian league
Liverpool FC – Real Madrid
Kick-off: Tuesday 21 February, 21: 00.
Referee: Kovács – Marinescu, Artene (all Romanian) – Irrati (video, It.).
Balance: 9 3-1-5 8:11.< /p>
Interesting points:
– it is a replay of the finals of the Champions League/Cup of the European countries from the years 1981, 2018 and 2022; in the first case in the then PMEZ, Liverpool won 1:0, 5 years ago Real 3:1 and last year the Spanish team 1:0
– Real did not lose to Liverpool 6 times in a row in the Champions League (of which 5 victories)
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– Liverpool and Real are aiming for their third successive LM quarter-finals
– Real have won only one of the last 7 matches in cups on the field of English opponents
– Real is with 14 triumphs by the most successful team in the competition
– Liverpool lost at the start of the LM group, but then won 5 times in a row
– Liverpool won 10 of the last 14 games at home in the LM
– Real did not win 2 times in a row away from home and conceded 4 goals. in the last 6 matches, he did not lose to the teams led by Liverpool coach Klopp
– home Alexander-Arnold is in danger of a card
– Liverpool is eighth in the English league table, Real is 2nd in the Spanish league. place
