The UEFA Champions League Round of 16 wraps up Wednesday, March 15, 2023, with a marquee showdown at Estadio Santiago Bernabeu, so we bring you the best Real Madrid vs. Liverpool betting pick and odds.
Real Madrid – Liverpool Betting Tip, Prediction & Odds (15.3.2023)
Although Real Madrid have a huge 5-2 lead from the first leg, we’ll see a super-exciting second leg in Spain. Liverpool must be angry following that embarrassing loss in front of the home fans and will give everything they have to spoil Los Blancos’ day.
Real Madrid vs. Liverpool: Initial Situation
Real Madrid topped Group F of the 2022-23 Champions League group phase, finishing with 13 points and a 15:6 goal difference. Liverpool were second in Group A with 15 points and a 17:6 goal difference.
Real Madrid Stats & Form
Los Blancos have only won one of their four games since that dismantling of Liverpool. After sandwiching a 1-0 home loss to Barcelona in Copa del Rey with a couple of league draws against Atletico Madrid 1-1 at home and Betis 0-0 on the road, Los Blancos beat Espanyol 3-1 at home last Saturday to get back on the right track in La Liga.
Three players found the back of the net versus Espanyol, including Vinicius Junior, who’s now the team’s leading scorer with 19 goals this season. Karim Benzema has 18 goals on his tally, and the veteran striker is questionable to play against Liverpool after missing the Espanyol clash due to an ankle injury. Los Blancos are without left-backs David Alaba and Ferland Mendy, whose absence is a big blow on both sides of the field.
Liverpool Stats & Form
The Reds are coming off Saturday’s 1-0 road loss against Bournemouth. Just six days after they embarrassed Manchester United in a 7-0 home victory, the Reds lost to one of the worst teams in the English Premier League. Bournemouth took a lead in the 28th minute, and Mohamed Salah missed a penalty in the 69th minute, blowing the best chance to get Liverpool a point. Over their last eight outings on the road, the Reds have recorded just a couple of wins to go with five losses and a draw.
Mohamed Salah has accounted for 22 goals and 11 assists in 38 appearances in all competitions so far this season. He’s bagged eight goals in seven Champions League matches in 2022-23. Darwin Nunez has 14 goals on his season tally, including four in seven outings in the Champions League.
Real Madrid – Liverpool: Head-to-Head
Liverpool are winless in six straight meetings with Real Madrid, earning just one draw in that stretch. Los Blancos trounced the Reds 5-2 three weeks ago despite being down two goals after just 14 minutes of play in the first half. Mohamed Salah and Darwin Nunez scored for Liverpool, while on the other side, Karim Benzema and Vinicius Junior netted a couple of goals apiece.
Real Madrid – Liverpool Odds
The Reds need to win by three goals to force extra time at Santiago Bernabeu, so the bookmakers are looking for a high-scoring affair. Both Teams to Score YES pays just 1.50 on bet365 Sportsbook, and Unibet Sportsbook offers 1.53 odds on Over 2.5 Goals. Frankly, this game could easily go three-way, and I would stick with the totals despite some unattractive odds.
The first leg saw seven goals and a shocking performance on either side. Both goalkeepers made mistakes that led to a couple of goals, and Los Blancos were pretty lucky to score five times on just nine shots. Liverpool also had nine shots in total while keeping the ball in possession for 52 percent of the time. The Reds have to push forward in numbers from the very first minute. They’ll be vulnerable at the back, so taking a combo Both Teams to Score YES and Over 3.5 Goals is a way to go in the second leg between Liverpool and Real Madrid.
Betting tip and prediction: Real Madrid – Liverpool (15.3.2023)