Real Madrid v Liverpool background

Group B leaders Real Madrid CF host Liverpool FC looking for the victory that will guarantee their progress to the knockout rounds.

• Madrid's 3-0 triumph at Anfield on matchday three – the Reds' heaviest home European defeat – gave the holders maximum points after three games and left third-placed Liverpool in a three-way fight for second place.

Previous meetings
• Liverpool beat Madrid 5-0 on aggregate in the 2008/09 round of 16. Rafael Benítez's Reds won the first leg 1-0 in Spain, before a 4-0 success back on Merseyside – Madrid's biggest UEFA Champions League defeat. Álvaro Arbeloa was in the Liverpool side for both matches.

• The lineups at the Santiago Bernabéu on 25 February 2009 were:
Real Madrid: Casillas, Ramos, Pepe, Cannavaro, Heinze, Robben, Gago, Diarra, Marcelo (Guti 46), Higuaín, Raúl.
Liverpool: Reina, Arbeloa, Škrtel, Carragher, Fábio Aurélio, Benayoun, Alonso, Mascherano, Riera (Gerrard 88), Torres (Babel 62), Kuyt (Lucas 90).

• Liverpool also beat Madrid 1-0 in the 1981 European Champion Clubs' Cup final in Paris, Alan Kennedy scoring the only goal.

Match background

Real Madrid
• Madrid's 5-1 victory against FC Basel 1893 on matchday one was their ninth straight home success in the UEFA Champions League.

• The Merengues are unbeaten in 18 UEFA Champions League matches on home soil, winning 16, dating back to April 2011.

• It was against Manchester United FC – their most recent English visitors – that they last failed to win a UEFA Champions League home game, drawing 1-1 in the first leg of their 2012/13 round of 16 tie.

• Madrid's most recent home success against English opposition was a 3-2 victory over Manchester City FC in the 2012/13 group stage. Their overall home record against English clubs is W6 D5 L2.

Liverpool
• Brendan Rodgers' side will look to improve on their performance in their last away fixture – a 1-0 defeat at Basel on matchday two.

• Liverpool's haul of three points from their three opening games is identical to their performance in the 2009/10 campaign when they ended up third in their group.

• Liverpool's last trip to Spain ended in a 1-0 defeat at Club Atlético de Madrid in the 2009/10 UEFA Europa League semi-finals – a tie they eventually lost on away goals. Gerrard, Glen Johnson and Lucas are the only survivors of that Liverpool team.

• Liverpool have a better win ratio against Liga opposition on Spanish soil than they do at Anfield. Their away record against Spanish clubs is W7 D4 L3, compared to a home record of W4 D6 L4.

• Gerrard scored in Liverpool's 5-4 UEFA Cup final triumph over Deportivo Alavés in 2001.

Coach and player links
• Carlo Ancelotti's AC Milan were beaten on penalties by Liverpool after surrendering a 3-0 lead in the 2005 final, before they gained revenge with a 2-1 final triumph in 2007.

• As Chelsea FC manager, Ancelotti faced Liverpool four times in the Premier League, winning twice in 2009/10 (2-0h, 2-0a), but losing twice in 2010/11 (0-2a, 0-1h).

• Cristiano Ronaldo scored twice in nine appearances against Liverpool for Manchester United, winning five, losing three and drawing one.

• Javier Hernández hit three goals for United in seven appearances against Liverpool (W3 D1 L3) – including the winner in an English League Cup tie at Old Trafford in September 2013.

• Luka Modrić faced Liverpool eight times with Tottenham Hotspur FC (W5 D1 L2) and scored in a 2-0 victory at Anfield in May 2011.

• Gareth Bale's record against Liverpool with Tottenham was W4 D2 L3. His only goal in nine appearances came in a 2-1 home victory in November 2012.

• Martin Škrtel captained Slovakia to a 2-1 success against Iker Casillas's Spain in UEFA EURO 2016 qualifying on 9 October – a result that ended Spain's 36-match unbeaten qualifying run.

• Fabio Borini and Isco were on the scoresheet when a Spain team also including Asier Illarramendi defeated Borini's Italy 4-2 in the 2013 UEFA European Under-21 Championship final.

• Mario Balotelli was in the Italy side beaten 4-0 by the Spain of Iker Casillas, Arbeloa and Sergio Ramos in the UEFA EURO 2012 final.

• International connections: Coutinho, Lucas and Marcelo (Brazil); Dejan Lovren and Modrić (Croatia); Mamadou Sakho, Raphaël Varane and Karim Benzema (France); Joe Allen and Bale (Wales).

Match facts

Real Madrid
• Since losing to Atlético on 13 September, the European champions have won 11 successive matches, scoring 46 goals in the process.

• Their latest victory was a 4-0 triumph on Saturday at Granada CF in which James Rodríguez struck twice.  

• Ancelotti's team have 24 points from ten league matches, two more than at the same stage last term.

• Madrid became the first team to score against FC Barcelona in the league this season when they defeated their rivals 3-1 at home on 25 October.

• Ronaldo equalised from the penalty spot in the Clásico. He has registered in his last 12 games in all competitions, 20 goals in total, and in 15 consecutive Liga fixtures at the Bernabéu.

• His goal on matchday three was his 70th in the UEFA Champions League, one behind record holder Raúl González.

• A first career double from Varane helped the holders to a 4-1 success at third-tier UE Cornellà in their Copa del Rey round of 32 first leg on 29 October.

• Raúl de Tomás, not in the UEFA Champions League squad, made his Madrid debut in that game. Sami Khedira started his first match of the season.

• Bale, Benzema, James, Toni Kroos, Ramos and Ronaldo are among 23 players nominated for the 2014 FIFA Ballon d'Or. A three-man shortlist will be announced on 1 December, with the winner revealed on 12 January. Ancelotti is up for the men's coach award.

Liverpool
• Liverpool were beaten 1-0 at Newcastle United FC on Saturday, their fourth reverse in ten Premier League games this season. They lost six times in the whole of 2013/14.

• Liverpool followed up their matchday three loss to Madrid by keeping their first clean sheet in ten games, drawing 0-0 at home against Hull City on 25 October.

• Three days later, goals in the final four minutes from Balotelli – his first since matchday one – and Lovren earned the Reds a comeback victory over Swansea City AFC in the League Cup fourth round.

• Daniel Sturridge has not played since 3 September due to a thigh problem.