Paul Merson gives Liverpool ‘no chance’ of pulling off Real Madrid Champions League comeback

Liverpool head to Real Madrid on Wednesday night aiming to overturn a 5-2 deficit from the first leg of their last 16 Champions League tie.
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Paul Merson believes Liverpool have “no chance” of reaching the quarter-finals of the Champions League as the Reds prepare for the second leg of their last-16 tie with Real Madrid.

In order to reach the last eight, Jurgen Klopp’s side will need to come from 5-2 down after suffering their worst Champions League defeat at Anfield last month.

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Darwin Nunez and Mohammed Salah had given the home side the lead after a frantic 14 minutes but two goals each from Vinícius Júnior and Karim Benzema, alongside one from Éder Militão gave the holders a huge advantage heading into Wednesday’s second leg at the Bernabéu.

Liverpool lost to Madrid in the 2018 and 2022 finals, while they were knocked out by the Spanish giants during the 2020-21 tournament.

And Merson believes after Saturday’s surprise 1-0 loss at Bournemouth that Carlo Ancelotti’s side will again triumph over Klopp’s men.

“Managers have to keep level-headed and so do players. Liverpool had a great result against Manchester United that will put them in the history books but then you’ve got to turn up and perform at Bournemouth,” Merson wrote in his Sky Sports column.

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“When you watch the Bournemouth game you think, ‘What chance have Liverpool got at Real Madrid?’ Needing to score three, at least, is a big ask, it would be one of the greatest Champions League comebacks of all time.

Karim Benzema is mobbed by teammates after scoring Madrid’s third goal at Anfield (Photo by PAUL ELLIS/AFP via Getty Images)Karim Benzema is mobbed by teammates after scoring Madrid’s third goal at Anfield (Photo by PAUL ELLIS/AFP via Getty Images)
Karim Benzema is mobbed by teammates after scoring Madrid’s third goal at Anfield (Photo by PAUL ELLIS/AFP via Getty Images)

“Barcelona did it against PSG but that was at home. This is away at the cup holders. If it was two goals then you never know, but three...I give them no chance.”

Liverpool did overturn a three-goal deficit against Barcelona on their way to winning the Champions League in 2019. After a 3-0 loss at the Camp Nou, the Reds won the second leg of their semi-final 4-0 on an historic night at Anfield.

Given their current struggles, they will need to pull off an arguably even greater miracle to reach the quarter finals.