As the architects of ‘the Miracle of Istanbul’ and an unforgettable semifinal win over Barcelona just four years ago, Liverpool are no strangers to a Champions League comeback.
But even for a club that is prone to pulling off the improbable, the task that awaits at the Santiago Bernabeu might just be too big an ask.
The Reds trail 5-2 on aggregate in their quarterfinal tie after receiving a mauling from Real Madrid in the first leg at Anfield last month.
Still, the size of that deficit is unlikely to stop the optimists among their support from believing another famous night is on the cards in the event of an early goal this evening.
Follow all the action with The Sporting News below.
Real Madrid vs Liverpool live score
| 1H | 2H | Final | |
| Real Madrid | — | — | — |
| Liverpool | — | — | — |
Goals:
Real Madrid vs Liverpool live updates, highlights
15 mins from kickoff: Klopp has been speaking to BT Sport: “The biggest thing we have to do tonight is defend Madrid, we cannot just attack and hope they don’t score. We need a super performance.”
Doesn’t sound like Liverpool will go gung-ho – at the start, at least.
40 mins from kickoff: Liverpool’s players having a sneak peek at a cathedral of European football.
Taking a look around before #RMALIV 👋 pic.twitter.com/5EF5Zu7AId
— Liverpool FC (@LFC) March 15, 2023
1 hr from kickoff: Well, that is one seriously attacking lineup from Jurgen Klopp, with all four of his frontline forwards picked to start and just two central midfielders included.
As for Real Madrid, they are looking pretty much at full strength and so will surely fancy their chances of keeping this attack-minded visiting side at bay as well as getting a few goals of their own.
75 mins from kickoff: The team news is in!
📋✅ Our starting XI 🆚 @LFC! #UCL pic.twitter.com/O5kJ5F7aKw
— Real Madrid C.F. 🇬🇧🇺🇸 (@realmadriden) March 15, 2023
The Reds to take on Real Madrid tonight 👊#RMALIV
— Liverpool FC (@LFC) March 15, 2023
2 hrs from kickoff: Hello and welcome to The Sporting News’ live coverage of Real Madrid vs Liverpool in the last 16 of the Champions League. The hosts hold a healthy 5-2 aggregate lead coming into this one and will be confident they can reach the quarters without being caused too many problems by such an inconsistent opponent.
Edging closer… ⏳#UCL pic.twitter.com/HCBR2qbJu7
— UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) March 15, 2023
Real Madrid vs Liverpool lineups
French striker Karim Benzema returns to the fold for the second leg despite initial fears that he might miss out through injury.
Nacho Fernandez gets the nod at left-back, with Fede Valverde pushed into attack as Eduardo Camavinga starts in central midfield.
Real Madrid (4-3-3): Courtois (GK) — Carvajal, Militao, Rudiger, Nacho — Camavinga, Kroos, Modric — Valverde, Benzema, Vinicius Jr
Subs: Lunin, Vallejo, Hazard, Asensio, Odriozola, Lucas Vazquez, Tchouameni, Ceballos, Rodrygo, Mendy, Mariano, Alvaro
Liverpool’s injury picture worsened this week as it emerged Jordan Henderson and Stefan Bajcetic would be unavailable for the match in Spain.
Consequently, Jurgen Klopp has selected just two orthodox midfielders in James Milner and Fabinho, with Darwin Nunez, Cody Gakpo, Mohamed Salah and Diogo Jota forming a four-man attack.
Joe Gomez returned to training on Tuesday but is not likely to be rushed back into action, while Klopp is potentially struggling for options in midfield.
Liverpool (4-2-3-1): Alisson (GK) — Alexander-Arnold, Konate, Van Dijk, Robertson — Fabinho, Milner — Salah, Gakpo, Nunez — Jota
Subs: Adrian, Kelleher, Gomez, Keita, Firmino, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Jones, Elliott, Tsimikas, Carvalho, Matip, Williams
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Real Madrid vs Liverpool start time
The match between Real Madrid and Liverpool will be played at the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu and will kick off at 21:00 local time in Spain.
Here’s how that time translates in time zones across the world:
Real Madrid vs Liverpool date, time
| Date | Kickoff time | |
| USA | Wed, Mar. 15 | 16:00 EDT |
| Canada | Wed, Mar. 15 | 16:00 EDT |
| UK | Wed, Mar. 15 | 20:00 GMT |
| Australia | Thu, Mar. 16 | 07:00 AEDT |
| India | Thu, Mar. 16 | 01:30 IST |
| Hong Kong | Thu, Mar. 16 | 04:00 HKT |
| Malaysia | Thu, Mar. 16 | 04:00 MYT |
| Singapore | Thu, Mar. 16 | 04:00 SGT |
| New Zealand | Thu, Mar. 16 | 09:00 NZDT |
MORE: When is Champions League quarterfinal draw 2023?
Real Madrid vs Liverpool live stream, TV channel
The match will be streamed or televised by the following outlets around the world:
| TV channel | Streaming | |
|---|---|---|
| USA | Univision, TUDN | fuboTV, Paramount+, ViX+, TUDN app, Univision Now |
| Canada | — | DAZN |
| UK | BT Sport 1 | BT Sport app/site |
| Australia | — | Stan Sport |
| New Zealand | — | Spark Sport |
| India | Sony TEN 2,3,4 | Sony LIV, Jio TV |
| Hong Kong | beIN Sports 3 | beIN Sports Connect |
| Malaysia | beIN Sports 3 |
beIN Sports Connect, sooka |
| Singapore | beIN Sports 3 | beIN Sports Connect, StarHub TV+ |
Australia: Fans can watch every match of the UEFA Champions League with all the action streaming ad-free, live and on demand on Stan Sport.
Canada: Every Champions League match in Canada can be streamed exclusively on DAZN.
UK: The UEFA Champions League is carried by BT Sport’s TV and streaming platforms.
USA: Fans in the USA can watch the Champions League in English (Paramount+) and Spanish (TV: Univision, TUDN and Streaming: ViX and ViX+).
All televised matches are streamed on fuboTV, which is available on a free trial for new users.