Real Madrid v Liverpool: In numbers

With Liverpool and Real Madrid set to do battle for Champions League glory in a week's time, we take a look at the numbers behind their previous meetings, past European achievements, efforts this season and more…

Head-to-head history…

Wins

Real Madrid – Two
Liverpool – Three

The first of the five previous meetings between the clubs came in the 1981 European Cup final in Paris. That night, those in red defeated their opponents in white through a single goal from Alan Kennedy. The full-back’s near-post strike secured Liverpool’s – and Bob Paisley’s – third success in the competition in five years.

Almost three decades passed before they faced off again, this time in the tournament’s Round of 16 stage, during the 2008-09 campaign. The outcome was the same, though. Rafael Benitez’s Reds silenced the Santiago Bernabeu through Yossi Benayoun’s header and emphatically finished the job at Anfield 13 days later with a 4-0 rout.

It was a different story in 2014-15, however. Having ended their wait for a 10th European Cup the previous season, Real were too powerful for Liverpool when they came to Merseyside in the group stage and followed up a 3-0 victory with a 1-0 win in Madrid as Brendan Rodgers’ side bowed out before the knockout rounds.

Tournament history…

Previous finals

Real Madrid – 15
Liverpool – 7

Previous final wins

Real Madrid – 12
Liverpool – 5

Jürgen Klopp v Real Madrid…

Played six: won three, drawn one, lost two

Unlike his counterpart Zinedine Zidane, the Liverpool boss does have previous with his opponents.

He faced the Spanish giants six times during his Borussia Dortmund tenure, including four fixtures throughout the 2012-13 Champions League campaign. BVB took four points from two meetings in the group stage before eliminating Real 4-3 on aggregate in the last four en route to defeat in the final against Bayern Munich at Wembley.

They met again in the knockout stages a year later but, trailing 3-0 from the first leg, Klopp’s men were unable to complete a comeback in the quarter-finals and Real went on to lift the trophy.

In Kiev...

Real Madrid – Played four: won one, drawn two, lost one

The La Liga side have visited Dynamo Kyiv on four occasions, losing their first in 1998-99 but gaining revenge a year later with a 2-1 win that included a goal from future Reds striker Fernando Morientes. Successive 2-2 draws followed in 2004 and 2006.

Liverpool – Played two: won one, drawn one

Danny Murphy and Steven Gerrard were on target when Liverpool defeated the same Ukrainian outfit 2-1 during the 2001-02 Champions League first group stage. Assistant manager Phil Thompson took the reins in Kiev with Gerard Houllier absent for health reasons.

The Reds also played a qualifier in the city in August 2006, drawing 1-1 with Maccabi Haifa to secure progress to that season’s group stage and begin a journey all the way to the final.

This season (excluding qualifiers)…

Wins

Real Madrid – 8
Liverpool – 7

Goals scored

Real Madrid – 30
Liverpool – 40

Top scorer

Real Madrid – Cristiano Ronaldo (15)
Liverpool – Roberto Firmino/Mohamed Salah (10)

Most assists

Real Madrid – Dani Carvajal (three)
Liverpool – James Milner (nine)

Most chances created

Real Madrid – Toni Kroos (24)
Liverpool – Mohamed Salah (27)

Shots on target

Real Madrid – 84
Liverpool – 89

Conversion rate

Real Madrid – 18.4 per cent
Liverpool – 26.3 per cent

Passing accuracy

Real Madrid – 88.6 per cent
Liverpool – 81.4 per cent

Goals conceded

Real Madrid – 15
Liverpool – 13

Clean sheets

Real Madrid – 3
Liverpool – 6

Shots faced (on target)

Real Madrid – 53
Liverpool – 38

Tackles won

Real Madrid – 144 (64.3 per cent)
Liverpool – 133 (61.9 per cent)

Duels won

Real Madrid – 619 (52.6 per cent)
Liverpool – 684 (49.5 per cent)

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