Real Madrid vs Liverpool Champions League round of 16 preview: Where to watch, kick-off time, starting line-ups

Real Madrid and Liverpool meet in the UEFA Champions League round of 16 second leg on Wednesday 15 March.

Where to watch Real Madrid vs Liverpool on TV

Fans can find their local UEFA Champions League broadcast partner(s) here.

What do you need to know?

Having conceded five in a European home game for the first time in their history, Liverpool will struggle to feel optimistic about their return game against Real Madrid, who have now gone seven games unbeaten against the Reds (W6 D1). Hope for Liverpool? Crazy comebacks occasionally happen in the Champions League, and Real Madrid have lost European home games by three-goal margins twice before, both in 2018/19: 3-0 against CSKA Moskva and 4-1 against Ajax.

Starting line-ups

Real Madrid: Courtois; Carvajal, Éder Militão, Rüdiger, Nacho; Kroos, Camavinga, Modrić; Valverde, Benzema, Vinícius Jr
Misses next match if booked: none

Liverpool: Alisson; Alexander-Arnold, Konaté, Van Dijk, Robertson; Diogo Jota, Fabinho, Milner; Salah, Darwin Núñez, Gakpo
Misses next match if booked: Alexander-Arnold

Form guide

Real Madrid
Form (all competitions, most recent first): WDLDWW
Where they stand: 2nd in Liga, Copa del Rey semi-finals

Liverpool
Form (all competitions, most recent first): LWWDLW
Where they stand: 6th in Premier League

Expert predictions

Graham Hunter, Real Madrid reporter
How do you top a historic performance? You don't. You simply profit from it by turning in a calm, controlled second instalment. Madrid's ability to recover from two down to win by three has never before been witnessed in the Champions League, but Carlo Ancelotti won't want a repeat at the Bernabéu. After the rollercoaster first leg, the Italian admitted he was still wary of Liverpool's ability to threaten Madrid's lead. 'Steady as you go and 100% focus' will be his pre-match orders.

Matthew Howarth, Liverpool reporter
We've been here before with Liverpool, whose logic-defying comebacks against AC Milan in the 2005 final and Barcelona in the 2019 semis have gone down in football folklore. Circumstances are slightly different on this occasion, however. Jürgen Klopp's team are not the force they once were and Madrid – who had one or two close shaves themselves en route to lifting the trophy last term – know how to get the job done. The Reds need a miracle.

What the coaches say

Carlo Ancelotti, Real Madrid coach: "The message to the team is simple: we have to try to play as well as possible, just like in the first leg. We won't try to calculate anything, we have to be in the game from the first minute. We have to go into the game with maximum intensity and enthusiasm and try to win it. We won't rest on the advantage we have. It will be an open game, we want to attack and play our best attacking football."

Jürgen Klopp, Liverpool coach: "I said three weeks ago after the game that Madrid were through; now we know there's a game to play. Even if there's only a 1% chance, we have to give it a try. We have nothing to lose, and it's a better situation than when you can lose everything. Obviously I would prefer Carlo's situation, defending a three-goal lead."

Where is the 2023 Champions League final?

UEFA via Getty Images

Istanbul's Atatürk Olympic Stadium will host the final on Saturday 10 June 2023.

The winners gain a place in the 2023/24 UEFA Champions League group stage, if they have not qualified via their domestic competition.