Reds seek Madrid miracle and pressure on City Champions League talking points

Reds seek Madrid miracle and pressure on City Champions League talking points

Liverpool have a mountain to climb after suffering a record home European defeat to Real Madrid last month (Peter Byrne/PA)

Manchester City and Liverpool are back in Champions League action this week for the second legs of their round-of-16 ties.

City take on Leipzig at the Etihad Stadium and Liverpool travel to Real Madrid. Porto v AC Milan and Napoli v Eintracht Frankfurt complete this weeks fixtures.

Here, the PA news agency looks at five of the main talking points.

UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague)February 21, 2023

Liverpool face a Herculean task in their bid to overturn a 5-2 first-leg deficit after falling to their record European home defeat three weeks ago. They have pulled off some stunning Champions League comebacks, hitting back from three-goal deficits in the 2005 final against AC Milan in Istanbul and in the 2019 semi-finals against Barcelona, but if Jurgen Klopps side could turn their last-16 tie around at the Bernabeu, it would arguably top the lot.

Liverpool must end a 14-year hoodoo to reach the quarter-finals for a fifth time in six years. It was 2009 when the Merseysiders last got the better of Madrid winning 4-0 at Anfield at the same stage of the tournament. The Spaniards have proved the dominant force in seven meetings since with six wins and one draw. Two of those wins for Los Blancos came in Champions League finals, 2018 in Kyiv when Gareth Bale scored twice and last season in Paris.