Real Madrid will eliminate Liverpool if they meet in the Champions League, says Zidane

Real Madrid manager Zinedine Zidane predicted that they will eliminate Liverpool from the ongoing UEFA Champions League if they face each other during the knockout stage. The Reds are the defending European champions, while Los Blancos last won the competition in 2018. Real Madrid is the most successful club in the history of the tournament with 13 titles to its name.

Jurgen Klopp's side secured a spot in the Round-of-16 after beating Red Bull Salzburg 2-0 on Tuesday night. In the process, they also finished the stage as Group E leaders. Real, on the other hand, has already qualified for the next round after finishing second in their group A campaign behind Paris Saint-Germain.

In the meantime, Zizou has started a war of words. He said with a smile, "If we play Liverpool, we will eliminate them. We can't do anything about the draw."

Liverpool is currently leading the Premier League points table, and is so far unbeaten in this season's League. The Reds' defender, Andy Robertson, claimed that every club wants to beat them and that is because the club has earned massive respect across Europe, based on their recent impressive performance.

He also mentioned that other clubs don't wish to face the defending champions in the ongoing Champions League. But he also clarified that the tournament is the toughest in Europe and all participants of the knockout stages are the best teams. Therefore, a competitive ride is waiting for everyone.

According to Talksport, Robertson seemed confident about Liverpool's positive track record in the recent editions of the Champions League. He feels that the English side is excellent when it comes to knockouts. Such a performance has been evident in the previous two editions of the UCL. However, he knows that all the clubs will want to beat them. Hence, they must deal with it well.

Liverpool has played last two consecutive Champions League finals. In 2018, they faced a 3-1 defeat against Real Madrid in Kiev, which was Cristiano Ronaldo's last appearance for Los Blancos. Interestingly, Zidane was Real's manager during that Final. Chances of these clubs meeting each other in the next round of this season's competition are quite probable. If that happens, the Reds will aim for payback.