They couldn’t, could they? In fairness, if anyone could it would be Liverpool. The Reds’ history is littered with unexpected and glorious comebacks, with European triumphs in the biggest arenas and on the biggest stages.
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Even allowing for such a rich heritage, however, Jurgen Klopp’s side will need to pull off the greatest and most unlikely escape act of all on Wednesday, if they are to keep their Champions League flickering a little while longer.
Liverpool’s 5-2 defeat to Real Madrid at Anfield in the first leg of their last-16 tie last month leaves them on the brink of elimination as they head to the Spanish capital this week. Santiago Bernabeu, intimidating at the best of times, will be even more so this time around.
In Champions League history, no side has ever lost the home leg of a knock-out tie by three goals and recovered. Only one team - Manchester United in 2019 - has lost by two goals and gone through, and even that was in the era of the away-goal rule.
Liverpool, in short, need to win by three clear goals just to force extra-time, and by four if they want to go through without the tension of a penalty shootout.
For context, only two teams have ever beaten Real by three clear goals in a Champions League game at the Bernabeu, and both were in the same campaign. CSKA Moscow triumphed 3-0 in the 2018-19 group stages, before Erik ten Hag’s Ajax dumped Los Blancos out with a 4-1 win in the last 16.
History, then, is not on Liverpool’s side, although supporters can call upon the memory of a 4-0 win over Real back in 2009. They may also refer back to a few more memorable continental triumphs from down the years.
Here, GOAL ranks their greatest European nights away from Anfield, starting with the greatest of all…
