John Barnes has predicted who he thinks will emerge victorious from the Champions League round of 16 tie between Liverpool and Real Madrid.
Two of the best sides in the competitions history are about to go head to head with six-time winners Liverpool hosting 14-time champions Real Madrid at Anfield on Tuesday night.
The two clubs go into this game in wildly contrasting form, with the Reds languishing down in eighth in the Premier League, seven points off the top four, having won just three games so far this year.
Los Blancos are second in La Liga and recently won the Club World Cup, and haven’t lost to their English opponents since 2009.
The two teams have played each other four times over the past five years, with Real winning three of those fixtures including the Champions League finals of 2018 and 2022.
But despite the odds being heavily against them, Barnes believes Liverpool can triumph over the two legs, though conceded that if this game were a one-off Real would get the win.
‘After the win against Everton and Newcastle, Liverpool will have a lot of confidence,’ the Reds legend told BonusCodeBets.
‘Real Madrid are a very good side and they have a lot of experience. They’re second in the league with a very good manager.
Over two legs I fancy Liverpool. I would be less confident if it was a one off game. As you saw in the Champions League final, Liverpool should have won but anything can happen because Madrid know how to get the job done.
‘Real Madrid are a funny team because regardless of how well they’re doing in the league or how well they’re playing, they’re capable of getting a result.
‘When you’ve got the likes of [Karim] Benzema and Vinicius Junior, if they can defend well they will always cause problems.
‘If we play with the aggression we show on the counter attack. Attacking with speed and strength it will shock Madrid because they’re not used to that. They don’t come up against that in Spain.’
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