Liverpool vs Real Madrid facts

The latest installment of one of European football's most enduring rivalries takes place at Anfield on UEFA Champions League Matchday 5 as Liverpool welcome Real Madrid.

The teams have met in three European Cup finals, Liverpool triumphing in 1981 but Madrid prevailing in both 2018 and 2022 as part of their domination of this fixture in recent years.

The English side, however, come into this contest as the only team with maximum points after four fixtures in this season's competition, winning at AC Milan (3-1) and Leipzig (1-0) and at home to Bologna (2-0) and, on Matchday 4, Bayer Leverkusen (4-0).

Madrid won the European Cup unbeaten for the first time in their history in 2023/24 but have already lost twice this season, going down 1-3 at home to Milan in their last fixture. They also lost 1-0 at LOSC Lille but have beaten Stuttgart (3-1) and Borussia Dortmund (5-2) at the Santiago Bernabéu.

Previous meetings

Matches 11
Liverpool wins 3
Madrid wins 7
Draws 1
Liverpool goals 10
Madrid goals 17

All of the clubs' previous fixtures have come in the European Cup/Champions League.

1981 final
Liverpool 1-0 Real Madrid
Bob Paisley's Liverpool beat Madrid, coached by Vujadin Boškov, at the Parc des Princes in Paris, Alan Kennedy scoring the only goal nine minutes from time.

2008/09 round of 16
Real Madrid 0-1 Liverpool
Liverpool 4-0 Real Madrid
Rafael Benítez's Reds won in Spain through a late Yossi Benayoun goal before Steven Gerrard scored twice and Fernando Torres and Andrea Dossena once each at Anfield –Madrid's joint-biggest Champions League defeat and Liverpool's last win against them.

2014/15 group stage
Liverpool 0-3 Real Madrid
Real Madrid 1-0 Liverpool
After Cristiano Ronaldo had opened the scoring at Anfield, Karim Benzema scored twice to wrap up an away win and also got the only goal 1-0 in Spain two weeks later.

2018 final
Real Madrid 3-1 Liverpool
At Kyiv's NSC Olimpiyski Zinédine Zidane's Madrid became the first club to win three successive European Cups twice against a Liverpool side managed by Jürgen Klopp. Karim Benzema's opener was quickly cancelled out by Sadio Mané, but two goals from substitute Gareth Bale – including a stunning overhead effort – took the trophy to Madrid again.

2020/21 quarter-finals
Real Madrid 3-1 Liverpool
Liverpool 0-0 Real Madrid
Vinícius Júnior scored twice at the Santiago Bernabéu either side of Marco Asensio's strike; Mohamed Salah's reply was all Liverpool could muster.

2022 final
Liverpool 0-1 Real Madrid
Vinícius Júnior scored the only goal in the 59th minute at the Stade de France, giving Madrid their 14th European Cup.

2022/23 round of 16
Liverpool 2-5 Real Madrid
Real Madrid 1-0 Liverpool
Early first-leg goals from Darwin Núñez and Salah put Liverpool in command at Anfield but Madrid were level before the break through Vinícius Júnior's double and seized control after the interval. Éder Militão's effort preceded another Benzema double in what was Liverpool's joint-biggest home European defeat, the Frenchman also scoring the only goal at the Bernabéu.

Form guide

Liverpool

Record vs Spanish clubs: W19 D13 L19 F66 A62
Home record vs Spanish clubs: W8 D8 L7

Liverpool's last three games against Spanish sides have all ended in defeat against Real Madrid.

The Merseysiders have won only eight of their 23 games against Spanish visitors at Anfield, although they have been victorious in six of the last 11 (D2 L3).

Liverpool have six victories in their last 21 fixtures against Spanish clubs (D3 L12) – a sequence that also includes a 3-1 loss to Sevilla in the 2016 UEFA Europa League final.

Liverpool's last four Champions League campaigns, and five of the last six, have ended in defeat against clubs from Madrid, their losses to Real Madrid in 2018/19, 2020/21, 2021/22 and 2022/23 and a round of 16 elimination by Atlético in 2019/20 (0-1 a, 2-3 h aet).

This is Liverpool's 16th Champions League campaign; they have reached the final five times, lifting the trophy in 2005 and 2019.

The Merseyside club last featured in 2022/23, finishing second in their section behind Napoli before losing to Madrid in the round of 16.

Liverpool have won 12 of their last 17 Champions League matches at Anfield (D2 L3).

Klopp's team took part in the Europa League in 2023/24, eventually coming up short against eventual winners Atalanta in the last eight (0-3 h, 1-0 a).

Liverpool were third in last season's Premier League, Klopp's last season in charge after nine years at Anfield; Arne Slot came in from Feyenoord to replace the German.

Real Madrid

Record vs English clubs: W24 D16 L17 F88 A72
Away record vs English clubs: W9 D6 L10

Madrid's last four games against Premier League clubs have all come against Manchester City (D3 L1), winning 4-3 on penalties in last season's quarter-finals after a 4-4 aggregate draw (3-3 h, 1-1 a aet).

They also lost 4-0 at City – Madrid's joint-heaviest Champions League defeat – in the 2022/23 semi-final second leg (1-5 aggregate).

Madrid were without an away win in five games against English clubs, a sequence that included three defeats, before a 3-1 first-leg victory at Chelsea in the 2021/22 quarter-finals but have now won three of the last six (D1 L2).

Madrid claimed their record-extending 15th European Cup in 2023/24 with a 2-0 final victory against Borussia Dortmund at Wembley.

Carlo Ancelotti's side had finished top of their section after winning all six group games for a record-equalling third time. Leipzig were overcome in the round of 16 (1-0 a, 1-1 a) before epic ties against holders Manchester City and Bayern München (2-2 a, 2-1 h).

Madrid are in the Champions League proper for the 29th time in 2024/25, a competition record they share with Barcelona. They last missed out in 1996/97 and have qualified for the knockout rounds in all 28 campaigns.

The Spanish side have lost nine of their last 30 Champions League away games, winning 11. They have been beaten in five of the last 16.

Debutant Kylian Mbappé was on target in a 2-0 win against Atalanta in the UEFA Super Cup in Warsaw on 14 August. It was Madrid's sixth triumph in the competition, a new record.

The Merengues claimed their second La Liga championship in three years and 36th overall in 2023/24.

Links and trivia

Ancelotti has faced Liverpool 18 times (W11 D4 L3) as a manager, including in two Champions League finals with AC Milan. His side lost the 2005 final in Istanbul on penalties having led 3-0 at half-time but beat the Reds 2-1 in Athens two years later. Ancelotti's Napoli side were also paired with Liverpool in the Champions League group stage in 2018/19 and 2019/20 (W2 D1 L1).

Ancelotti was Chelsea manager between 2009 and 2011, winning the 2009/10 Premier League and FA Cup double. The Italian was also in charge of Liverpool's local rivals Everton between 2019 and 2021, his four games against Liverpool as Toffees manager ending with the record W1 D2 L1; the sole victory, a 2-0 success on 20 February 2021, was Everton's first Premier League win at Anfield since 1999.

Have played in Spain:
Darwin Núñez (Almería 2019/20)
Diogo Jota (Atlético de Madrid 2016–19)

Have played in England:
Luka Modrić (Tottenham 2008–12)
Thibaut Courtois (Chelsea 2014–18)
Antonio Rüdiger (Chelsea 2017–22)
Brahim Díaz (Manchester City 2015–19)
Jude Bellingham (Birmingham City 2010–20)
Dani Ceballos (Arsenal 2019–21 loan)

Have played together:
Mohamed Salah & Thibaut Courtois (Chelsea 2014)
Mohamed Salah & Antonio Rüdiger (Roma 2015–17)
Alisson Becker & Antonio Rüdiger (Roma 2016/17)

International team-mates:
Alisson Becker & Rodrygo, Vinícius Júnior, Éder Militão, Endrick (Brazil)
Ibrahima Konaté & Ferland Mendy, Eduardo Camavinga, Aurélien Tchouameni, Kylian Mbappé (France)
Joe Gomez, Trent Alexander-Arnold & Jude Bellingham (England)
Darwin Núñez & Federico Valverde (Uruguay)

Latest news

Liverpool

Liverpool have won ten of their 12 Premier League games this season (D1 L1), giving Arne Slot the best top-flight start in club history. The Dutchman is also the joint-fastest manager to ten wins in Premier League history, level with Guus Hiddink and Carlo Ancelotti.

On Sunday the Merseysiders were 3-2 victors at Southampton to go eight points clear at the top of the Premier League.

Mohamed Salah scored twice to make it ten goals and six assists in this season's Premier League; he has found the net in his last five appearances.

The Reds have 16 victories in 18 matches in all competitions in 2024/25 including wins in the last five.

On 14 November Curtis Jones marked his England debut with the final goal in a 3-0 UEFA Nations League win in Greece.

The same day Caoimhin Kelleher saved a penalty to help the Republic of Ireland beat Finland 1-0.

Cody Gakpo converted a penalty as Netherlands defeated Hungary 4-0 on 16 November.

On 18 November Andy Robertson's added-time header earned Scotland a 2-1 win in Poland, while Conor Bradley scored in Northern Ireland's 2-2 draw against Luxembourg.

Dominik Szoboszlai's added-time penalty gave Hungary a 1-1 draw against Germany on 19 November.

Harvey Elliott has not played since 13 September with a fractured foot although he was an unused substitute on Sunday.

Trent Alexander-Arnold was taken off with a thigh injury in the first half of a 2-0 home win against Aston Villa on 9 November and has not played since.

Diogo Jota has been out since being replaced in the first half of a 2-1 home win against Chelsea on 20 October with an abdominal problem.

Alisson Becker, who was out between 17 and 28 September with a thigh problem, was replaced late on in a 1-0 win at Crystal Palace on 5 October due to a hamstring injury and has not played since.

Federico Chiesa has been out with a knock and has not played since 25 September.

Real Madrid

On Sunday Kylian Mbappé, Federico Valverde and Jude Bellingham were on target in a 3-0 Liga win at Leganés.

Madrid have suffered three defeats in their last eight matches having lost only two of the previous 68.

Madrid's 42-match unbeaten Liga run was ended one short of Barcelona's record by a 0-4 loss at home to Barça on 26 October.

Vinícius Júnior hit a hat-trick in a 4-0 win against Osasuna on 9 November and has 13 goals in 12 club games this season.

Bellingham also scored against Osasuna, his first La Liga goal this season; he had 11 at the same point of 2023/24.

Luka Modrić made his 371st Madrid appearance against Osasuna, taking him third among non-Spanish players in the club's history after overtaking Roberto Carlos; the Croatian is now behind only Karim Benzema (439) and Marcelo (386).*

Bellingham provided two assists in England's 5-0 UEFA Nations League win against the Republic of Ireland on 17 November.

Brahim Díaz scored twice in Morocco's 5-1 CAF Africa Cup of Nations qualifying win in Gabon and subsequently hit a hat-trick in a 7-0 win against Lesotho.

Valverde scored Uruguay's goal in a 1-1 draw with Brazil in FIFA World Cup qualifying on 19 November.

Thibaut Courtois started on Sunday for the first time since suffering an adductor injury in his left leg in Madrid's 2-1 win against Celta Vigo on 19 October.

Éder Militão tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee against Osasuna and is not expected to play again this season

Rodrygo (muscle) and Lucas Vázquez (adductor) have also been out since suffering injuries against Osasuna.

Aurélien Tchouameni sprained his ankle against Barcelona and has not played since.

Dani Carvajal is expected to miss the rest of the season after rupturing the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee during Madrid's 2-0 win against Villarreal on 5 October.

David Alaba has been out since December with a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee.