\n| Game Time:<\/td>\n | 4:00pm ET \/ 1:00pm PT<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\nReal Madrid vs Liverpool Betting Analysis<\/h2>\nWith a club like Liverpool, even though they are clearly having a down season, you can\u2019t say it\u2019s over yet, but they face an almost insurmountable task of reversing a 2-5 aggregate score as the travel to the Bernabeu for leg 2 against the defending champs.<\/p>\n Liverpool raced out to a 2-0 lead and for a moment, there was belief that maybe Liverpool could put their Premier League woes behind them and play at another level in the Champions League. But then reality set in as they conceded five unanswered goals in a span of just 46\u2019 minutes.<\/p>\n A quick look at the stat sheet doesn\u2019t show much of a difference between the sides. About dead even possession and both with only nine shots, although Madrid was able to get six on target compared to just four for Liverpool.<\/p>\n Even xG was close and actually in Liverpool\u2019s favor at 1.9 to 1.7 according to fbref.com. The difference was how clinical Madrid were with their chances as both Vinicius Junior and Karim Benzema each scored a brace plus assisted on one of each other\u2019s goals as well.<\/p>\n Real Madrid Fueled by Key Players<\/h3>\nVinicius Junior has really blossomed into his own and now has 19 goals in all competitions this season plus an additional 11 assists. Then of course Benzema who always has a knack for scoring big goals especially in this competition.<\/p>\n He has tallied 18 goals this season plus five assists even though he has missed 13 games for various injuries and rest reasons including missing this past weekend\u2019s game against Espanyol for an ankle injury. However, it\u2019s being reported that it\u2019s not serious and he is expected to be on the field vs Liverpool.<\/p>\n Meanwhile Liverpool have been the opposite as the team ranks as the 3rd biggest underperformer in the EPL this season scoring over eight goals less than expected and that includes their seven-goal performance vs United two weekends ago which was a +4 overperformance against expected.<\/p>\n Liverpool Must Improve Defense<\/h3>\nStill, it hasn\u2019t been their offense that has been the problem as they have scored 68 goals in all competitions, including Salah netting 21.<\/p>\n It\u2019s been their defense which was been incredibly poor by their standards, although they have allowed just one goal over their last six EPL matches.<\/p>\n Their current run is the type of defense that we have grown accustomed to in recent years but allowing five to Madrid, three to Wolves, three to Brighton, three to Brentford, three to Man City, three to Arsenal and four to Napoli are examples of something we would have never seen from this side in the past.<\/p>\n Real Madrid vs Liverpool Expert Prediction<\/h2>\nObviously, the game script does not call for Liverpool to pack it in and try to play defense, and even if they wanted to, they clearly have shown they have not been able to do it consistently, especially against the quality clubs they have faced.<\/p>\n Liverpool is going to have to push the issue right from kickoff and should provide plenty of opportunities both ways in this match.<\/p>\n Prediction: Over 3 Goals Scored -120<\/strong><\/p>\n |
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