Eder Militao has warned his Real Madrid team-mates that their Champions League round of 16 tie with Liverpool ain’t over till the fat lady sings.
The Spanish giants thrashed Jurgen Klopp’s men 5-2 in the first leg at Anfield with two goals each from Vinicius Junior and Karim Benzema cushioning Militao’s strike. But despite their three-goal lead, Militao insists he and his pals will be taking nothing for granted against a side who have proved time and again in Europe and at home that they can score goals for fun and produce heroic comebacks when they need to.
In 2005, of course, Liverpool won the Champions League final on penalties against AC Milan after trailing 3-0 at half-time. And perhaps more pertinently, they beat Barcelona in the 2020 semi-finals by winning the second leg 4-0 after losing 3-0 in the first leg.
Their 7-0 victory over Manchester United will still be fresh in the memory for Liverpool as they head out at the Santiago Bernabeu on Wednesday, even though they were beaten 1-0 by Bournemouth in their next Premier League fixture. And if they can race into a 2-0 lead this week as they did in the first leg against Real Madrid, then all of a sudden, the tie has a different complexion altogether.
Militao knows that and he knows there’s still a long way to go. He said: “Some people believe this tie is already finished but I am expecting a big night between two of the clubs with the biggest histories in world football.
“It’s certain that Real Madrid have a very big advantage but still we must wait another 90 minutes and the round is not closed. In previous editions of the Champions League, we have experienced situations that have been right on the limit and we know they were lessons for us.
“Liverpool improved in the last matches and we saw the game against Manchester United — they were spectacular. We expect a different Liverpool in Madrid than the one we faced at Anfield because they need to take risks to score goals, but our challenge is to play such a match that no one remembers our 5-2 win at Anfield.
“The fact the second leg is in front of our supporters is favourable for us. Liverpool will feel enormous pressure and each minute that passes with a goal for them is a success for us. Real have suffered problems with winning and scoring goals since our win in Liverpool but I am totally convinced this will change this week at the Santiago Bernabeu.”
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Militao loved his evening at Anfield last month. He added: “The night in Liverpool was one of the most historic in my sporting life — to win 5-2 there and score is a unique moment for any footballer.
“But Liverpool have a super squad and now we do not want to be surprised at home. Mo Salah has come into a good moment in attack. He is always dangerous and against us he is hyper-motivated, and also Roberto Firmino is scoring goals again.
“So until the end of this match, nothing has been decided.”
