Klopp: 'Liverpool only has a 1% chance of winning against Real'

After losing 2-5 to Real in the first leg at Anfield, Klopp said that the match was arranged and Liverpool had no chance to continue. On the eve of the rematch at the Bernabeu, the German coach reiterated his point when admitting that even a good performance may not be enough to take Liverpool through. But he also emphasized that he would not give up: "Three weeks later, we meet again and even if it's only a 1% chance of going through, I also want to try and try."

In the first leg, Liverpool started perfectly when Darwin Nunez hit his heel and Mohamed Salah took advantage of the mistake of goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois, helping the host to lead 2-0 after only 14 minutes. After that, Vinicius scored twice to help Real equalize the score at the break. In the second half, Eder Militao headed near the wall to put the visitors ahead, then Karim Benzema scored twice from shots in the penalty area, helping to seal the 5-2 win.

"We are here to play against a very strong opponent, and we will try to win, no matter how difficult," added Klopp. "We respect the league and Real, so we can't wait to get into the game. But Liverpool are really in a bad situation."

Liverpool are the first team to lead 2-0 and then lose by a three-goal margin in Champions League history. They also experienced their first match conceding four and five goals at home in the European arena.

In the past, Liverpool were three goals behind in the first leg but still won the second leg. In 2019, after losing 0-3 at Camp Nou in the semi-final first leg, the army under Klopp crushed Barca 4-0 when rematched at Anfield to reach the final.

However, the history of the Champions League has not recorded a team that lost the first leg at home with a difference of three goals and reversed the position in the second leg away.

Asked if this was the most difficult match as Liverpool manager, Klopp replied: "The hardest? I don't know, but it's difficult because we have a high chance of not reaching the quarter-finals. In the room At this press conference, everyone thought Liverpool had no chance, and I was the only one who thought we had a little chance. And I'm fine with that."

The German coach also agreed with the assessment of Real Madrid colleague Carlo Ancelotti that Liverpool will attack aggressively from the beginning of the match. "We have nothing to lose and that's better than possibly losing everything," Klopp said. "The only problem is that we can lose a game, which is a really bad thing. And if you don't play good football here, you not only lose but you are eliminated."

Liverpool ran poorly when losing 0-1 at the relegation club Bournemouth in the English Premier League on March 11, a week after crushing Man Utd 7-0 at Anfield. Klopp thinks that if Liverpool continue to bounce like that, they may experience other positive times at the Bernabeu.