Boss: This challenge brings out your best

The Reds landed in Spain on Monday afternoon following a short flight from Merseyside and were soon out on the pitch at the imposing Santiago Bernabeu to acclimatise ahead of a Group B contest with the Champions League holders tonight.

A fortnight ago, Carlo Ancelotti's team had made the opposite journey and claimed a 3-0 victory at Anfield, producing a clinical display to stem a bright opening by the home side en route to maintaining maximum points in the section.

The task now, Rodgers explained at a press conference from inside the Bernabeu today, is to learn from what happened during the last meeting and improve, with a memorable evening at a famous football venue the ambition.

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He said: "We started very well in the game at Anfield - we were aggressive in our pressing and we passed the ball very quickly. But we gave away a goal too early on in the game and from that they had the confidence and scored what we would consider two poor goals.

"So the key, even though we know it's tough, is to make sure as a team we are very compact, we're very disciplined tactically in our game, to close the spaces and put the pressure on the dangerous areas of the field.

"When we have the ball, we need to create problems ourselves. I think we showed in the previous game that, even though the score was 3-0, we could still have moments where we could hurt the opponent and that will be the ideato.

"It's a wonderful arena. It's one of the most iconic football grounds in the world. The pitch will be perfect; it's a fast pitch and when you come up against the best opponents, that's the challenge and that's what makes you perform to your best.

"They are in a very good moment. We see it as an opportunity. We still very much have the opportunity to qualify from the group. We're not coming here as a team that is expecting to lose and then look at the other games as games we have to qualify."

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Aside from Real, who have taken full spoils from all three matches, Group B is remarkably congested - Liverpool, FC Basel and Ludogorets Razgrad each have one win and two defeats to date.

Providing his latest assessment on the current state of the section, Rodgers expressed a singular vision on his side and how progression to the knockout rounds of the competition depends on their own displays.

"Basel are a team that is experienced in the Champions League and they've showed over a few seasons that they are a good side," the boss reflected to journalists and reporters gathered at the Bernabeu.

"Ludogorets have probably surprised a lot of teams in Europe by how well they have played. Even though we got a victory over them, we knew they were a good team. Against Real away, they put in a good performance.

"But we're very much focused on ourselves. We know it's in our hands to qualify out of the group and that's still the objective. It's still in our hands, so that's something that we will look forward to hopefully achieving."

Rodgers was also quizzed for an analysis of the threat posed by Los Blancos' talisman, Cristiano Ronaldo, who broke the deadlock at Anfield with a strike of outstanding technique and vision.

"We're also playing against the team, which is a very, very good team," he cautioned. "But I think Cristiano, at this moment in time, is probably the best player in the world.

"He's been impressive for a number of years and he's playing with great confidence and enthusiasm. But he will tell you himself that it's very much about the team. They work very hard and they come off the back of a victory at the weekend.

"They have some outstanding players in Karim Benzema, Isco, Toni Kroos, Luka Modric and the other players. It's very much a team effort from Real Madrid. But certainly, he's the catalyst of that team."