Liverpool and Real Madrid will go head-to-head in the next round of the Champions League and Madrid defender David Alaba is expecting an extremely tough tie against the Reds despite the Premier League side’s struggles this season.
Liverpool host the Spanish giants in the first leg of their round of 16 matchup at Anfield on February 21 before the two sides meet again in the second leg at the Bernabeu on March 15.
The Reds have had no luck off Real Madrid of late, losing two finals and a quarter-final tie over the last five seasons, and the La Liga side will be favourites heading into next month’s match also.
Jurgen Klopp’s team have struggled massively this campaign and there have been no signs of it getting better anytime soon. Despite this, Real Madrid defender David Alaba expects tough games against the Merseyside club.
Real Madrid’s David Alaba speaks about upcoming Liverpool matches
When asked about his ambitions for the future, Alaba told German outlet Bild: “I want to celebrate successes: personal, with Real Madrid and with the national team. We want to win the league, be at the top. That is my ambition, I do not understand things in any other way.
“We also want to compete well in the other competitions, although we know that the game against Liverpool in the Champions League will be brutally difficult.
“It’s going to be a fantastic round of 16. The games against Liverpool are always real fights, they are one of the best teams in the world.
“It will be a difficult task, but we want to go to the next round.”