da betobet： In the pick of this evening’s Champions League action, reigning champions Real Madrid play hosts to Premier League side Liverpool.
da aposte e ganhe： The Reds are back in Europe’s competition for the first time since 2009 this season, but were quickly brought back down to earth when Los Blancos visited Anfield last month, thumping the Merseysiders 3-0.
Going to the Bernabeu certainly won’t improve Liverpool’s odds, but there’s still a chance the Reds can claim a respectable result against the Group B leaders.
That, however, will largely depend on whether the Premier League runners-up can dominate the individual battles.
Thus, here’s FIVE key battles Brendan Rodgers’ side need to win if they’re to come away from the Bernabeu with a point or more.
[ffc-gallery]CLICK ON MARIO BALOTELLI TO REVEAL
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CRISTIANO RONALDO VS SIMON MIGNOLET
With an outrageous 22 goals already this season, including this stunning strike at Anfield last month:
… and now just one strike away from matching Raul’s all-time Champions League top scorer record of 71 goals, if Liverpool are to stop Cristiano Ronaldo from scoring at the Bernabeu for the first time since August, goalkeeper Simon Mignolet will have to be on top form.
The Belgium international has come under fire of late – Gary Neville and Jamie Carragher even saw grounds to criticise his attempts to prevent Phil Jagielka’s wonder-strike during the Merseyside derby:
But with the odds firmly against him to keep Real Madrid’s star forward at bay, Mignolet enters the Bernabeu fixture under little pressure.
That being said, Ronaldo’s currently enjoying the hottest form of his career. And just in case you’d somehow forgotten what he’s capable of – maybe you’ve been hit on the head with a very, very large spanner – here’s the Portugal international’s twenty best ever goals:
KARIM BENZEMA VS DEJAN LOVREN AND MARTIN SKRTEL
Karim Benzema may find himself slightly outshone by the impeccable attacking cast surrounding him at Real Madrid, but tactically, his influence remains pivotal.
He’s the man who links play between the midfield and the front-line for Real, occupying defenders, always providing a direct outlet and creating space for Cristiano Ronaldo.
Martin Skrtel and summer signing Dejan Lovren have struggled to gel as a centre-back partnership this season and failed to prevent the France international from getting from the score-sheet at Anfield. In fact, he netted twice – this shrewd header:
…followed by a close-range finish as a result of some poor marking from a corner:
Lovren and Skrtel need to match the physicality of Benzema’s stocky 6 foot 2 frame – especially in the air – whilst also stopping the Frenchman from supplying those around him.
He’s grabbed five assists already this season, although the 26 year-old is yet to claim a set-up in Europe:
JORDAN HENDERSON VS TONI KROOS
Toni Kroos is Real Madrid’s pace-setter; their deep-lying playmaker that dictates the direction and tempo of attacks.
The German World Cup winner was allowed to run riot at Anfield, with his 89 passes (producing an incredible pass completion rate of 97.8%) only bettered by central midfield partner Luka Modric:
He’ll inevitably get time and space on the ball – that’s why he’s one of the top midfielders in world football – but Liverpool need to reduce it as much as possible, and that task will likely fall to Jordan Henderson.
The England international’s form has been turbulent this season but he’s got the energy and athleticism to go toe-to-toe with Kroos for much of the match. He’s also the second-most proficient tackler in Liverpool’s squad:
…so if any Reds player can catch Kroos in possession high enough up the pitch to start a counter-attack, it’s undoubtedly the former Sunderland youngster.
Likewise, the German international’s defensive qualities leave a lot to be desire, and Henderson has the pace and intelligence to exploit space behind him on the break.
We know he can score and create around the penalty area too:
And Liverpool’s attackers will need the 24 year-old’s support on a night where they’ll spend the majority of it isolated.
MARIO BALOTELLI VS PEPE
Brendan Rodgers felt compelled to haul Mario Balotelli off at half-time against Real Madrid last month, and the Italian striker’s return for Liverpool stands at an incredibly disappointing two in twelve.
But with the injury-stricken Daniel Sturridge’s chances of starting rated ‘highly unlikely’ by the Liverpool boss, it appears Rodgers has little choice in giving Balotelli another crack against Los Blancos.
He didn’t find an inch of room against Pepe at Anfield – in fact, Liverpool’s summer signing failed to land a shot on target – which is perhaps why he ended up swapping shirts with the Real Madrid centre-back at half time.
But an eternally enigmatic, unpredictable figure, Balotelli has a knack of pulling off the sublime without a moment’s notice – take this strike against Bologna for example:
Could this be the night he justifies his £16million transfer fee?
GLEN JOHNSON VS ISCO
There were certainly more notable performers during Real Madrid’s 3-0 victory at Anfield last month, but the individual statistics are incredibly telling.
In a tucked-in left-hand role that allowed him to drift centrally, midfielder Isco recorded the second-most touches of any player on the pitch:
In addition to the most successful dribbles:
In fact, the Spain international’s 8.44 rating, according to Whoscored.com, was only bettered by Karim Benzema and Cristiano Ronaldo, so his influence in the Anfield victory cannot be overstated.
His league form has been solid too this year, so solid in fact, it appears Carlo Ancelotti will stick with his ad hoc 4-4-2 against Liverpool to accommodate Isco, despite Gareth Bale returning from injury.
To prevent a repeat performance, we’ll have to see some improvement from Glen Johnson. His experience – boasting 43 career outings in Europe and 54 caps for England -could prove vital at the Bernabeu, but the 30 year-old’s form has been wanting this season, as shown below, and Brendan Rodgers will expect more.
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