Real Madrid vs Liverpool: Jurgen Klopp believes in miracle comeback

Liverpool FC manager Jurgen Klopp is not afraid to play the part of the dreamer as he travels with his squad to the capital of Spain to face Real Madrid in the second leg of their UEFA Champions League round-of-16 tie.

It may be remembered that Los Blancos fell 0-2 behind in Anfield three weeks ago. However, the defending champions gained a second wind and scored five goals. Liverpool are now travelling to Madrid with a three-goal deficit, but Klopp bravely declared that he believes his team can pull off a miracle at the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium on Wednesday night.

Liverpool have some confidence after beating Manchester United 7-0 last week, but they were quickly brought back down to earth by a 1-0 loss at the hands of Bournemouth over the weekend. The results from the past week provides little to predict what will happen on Wednesday, but in his pre-match press conference, Klopp did not mind being the only believer in the room.

He told the press that his Liverpool side have nothing to lose and he is aware that no one believes they can overturn a 5-2 deficit against the 14-time European Champions. "In this room, 100 per cent of people think we have no chance. If I am the only one who thinks we have a little, that's fine," said Klopp, as quoted by the Daily Mail.

The German also admitted that his perspective changed in the three weeks since the first leg. At that time, he said that Real Madrid are through to the quarter-finals. Now, he has had some time to grieve the loss and is determined to fight back. "Three weeks later, we know there is a game to play and if it is only a one per cent chance, I would like to give it a try," he said.

Klopp recognised that they are "alone" in their belief that they could score four goals at the Bernabeu while keeping a clean sheet at the other end. Nevertheless, they are hoping to surprise themselves and possibly the rest of the world.

Before the first leg, Klopp said that they must play two superb matches to get past the most successful team in Champions League history. After a disaster in the first leg despite their best efforts, he is not giving up with 90 minutes still left to play.

Unfortunately, Liverpool are not being helped by the fact that their captain, Jordan Henderson, has fallen ill. He was not fit enough to travel, and his presence on the pitch will surely be missed by the squad on Wednesday. Stefan Bajcetic is also out with an injury, meaning they won't be coming with all guns blazing.

Despite the setbacks, Liverpool can't be written off and Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti knows this. In his own press conference, he said that despite being three goals up, they do not have the mindset of simply managing the game. He rested Karim Benzema over the weekend with the purpose of having his top striker ready to inflict further damage against Liverpool.

Liverpool player Fabinho, who joined Klopp's press conference, also admitted that everyone is expecting the reigning champions to win. However, he pointed out that they overcame a 3-0 deficit against FC Barcelona in 2019. This means that a comeback is not impossible, and he and his teammates are determined to try.

'It's important to have the mindset we have: nothing to lose. Everyone expects Real to win and get to the quarter-finals and this can be good for us," said Fabinho, adding that "if Madrid smell blood, they can kill you. We are facing the champions and that is going to be tough."

He is under no illusion that winning will be easy, but Real Madrid are not perfect. They have also had mixed results in recent weeks, with particularly frustrating setbacks in La Liga. They are nine points behind Barcelona in the league table, meaning their confidence is not 100 per cent either.

Ancelotti has warned his players not to get complacent despite their lead, and he knows it is important for the squad to get a good result if they want to retain their confidence for the remainder of the season. They are aiming for a record-extending 15th UEFA Champions League trophy as well as a comeback against Barcelona in the Cops del Rey semi-finals. La Liga is still within reach, but the gap won't be easy to close. The season is definitely entering the crucial phase for teams all across Europe, and it remains to be seen whose dreams will materialise.