PreviewLiverpool v Real Madrid: 13 pre-match stats ahead of Champions League clash

The Reds host the holders on Wednesday night (8pm GMT kick-off) and, ahead of the game, here are 13 interesting facts and figures, compiled by club statistician Ged Rea...

Liverpool have met Real Madrid 11 times previously, all in the European Cup/Champions League. The Reds won each of the first three, including the 1981 final, but have lost seven of the last eight.

The Reds have been beaten by Real more times and conceded more goals (17) to them than any team in European competition.

Liverpool’s biggest victory over Real came in March 2009, when Steven Gerrard scored twice in a 4-0 win at Anfield.

Arne Slot’s side are the only team to have won all four of their games so far in this season’s Champions League.

The Reds scored 10 times in those victories, with eight different players netting. Luis Diaz is the only man to score more than once.

Liverpool have failed to score in only five of their last 41 European fixtures, but three of those blanks came against Real.

The Reds have scored 36 times in their last 13 home outings in Europe, with only Atalanta – who kept a clean sheet – preventing them from scoring at least twice.

Slot’s team are yet to concede a goal at Anfield in the Champions League this season.

This will be the Reds’ 54th meeting with a side from Spain, their highest number of matches against teams from a single nation in Europe. Of the previous 53, they won 20, drew 13 and lost 20.

Diaz scored a hat-trick in the 4-0 home win over Bayer Leverkusen on matchday four – not since October 1984 have Liverpool players netted a treble in successive European fixtures at Anfield, when John Wark and Ian Rush did so.

Ryan Gravenberch and Virgil van Dijk have played every minute of Liverpool’s Champions League campaign so far.

Mohamed Salah needs two more goals to reach the landmark of 50 for the club in European competition.

Liverpool have not had a player red-carded in their last 79 European matches, since Joe Gomez became their 13th against Sevilla at Anfield in September 2017.