Real Madrid News
Liverpool ace keen to avoid Real Madrid in the Champions League: “Always got knocked out”
Liverpool forward Diogo Jota has voiced his concern over having to face Real Madrid again next season in the UEFA Champions League, saying that he practically wants to avoid facing the Los Blancos.
Real Madrid and Liverpool have been facing each other quite regularly in Europe’s premier competition since the 2017/18 final. The match, which was marred by a series of Loris Karius’ blunders, ended 3-1 in the favour of the Spanish giants.
Jota’s introduction to Liverpool happened in September 2020 and for three seasons running, the Premier League side has been beaten by the record European champions in the UCL.
During the 2020/21 season, Real Madrid won the quarter-final tie 3-1.
In the subsequent year, many branded the Reds to be the favourite to lift the Champions League title, but Madrid’s experience proved to be differential, with Vinicius Jr’s only goal in the 59th minute winning the final and the trophy for his team.
In the season that just ended, Real Madrid and Liverpool crossed paths in the Round of 16. In what could be termed an absolute banger of the match, Liverpool took the early 2-0 lead inside the opening 15 minutes of the first leg, but Los Blancos went on to turn the tie in their favour, winning 5-2.
By the end of the second leg, Madrid had the tie in their bag 6-2 on aggregate.
Considering Liverpool’s luck against Real Madrid in the UEFA Champions League, Jota has expressed that he does not want to face them once again next season but admitted that the Merengues will somehow find a way to get in their way.
“Well, they can somehow finish third in their group and still be in our way,” Jota told FourFourTwo. “But since I came to Liverpool, I’ve always got knocked out by Real Madrid, so hopefully they’re not there.”
While Madrid’s 2022/23 season was disappointing on some levels, they are expected to get back on track next season, having signed Jude Bellingham, Fran Garcia, and Joselu. Add to it the possibility of signing Kylian Mbappe and Real Madrid can assert their dominance in Europe once again.
Aurelien Tchouameni has had an exciting start to his career at Real Madrid. Since joining the club for almost €80 million last summer, the young Frenchman has now become a pivotal figure in Real Madrid’s midfield unit.
However, prior to his move to Santiago Bernabeu, the midfielder was closely linked with a move to Paris Saint-Germain.
In a recent interview, Tchouameni opened up on his links to PSG but revealed his decision to join Real Madrid.
Aurelien Tchouameni on PSG links
Talking about speculations linking him to PSG, Tchouameni said (h/t Madrid Zone), “PSG? Frankly, I thought about it. It’s a very big European club, we want the French clubs to succeed.”
“But honestly, when Real Madrid calls you, it’s very complicated to say no,” Tchouameni added.
The midfielder was linked with a move to PSG during his time at AS Monaco. Les Parisiens wanted to sign the youngster as part of their plans to reinforce the midfield unit.
Tchouameni, though, ended up opting for a move to Real Madrid, which turned out to be a prudent decision from the midfielder’s end.
Tchouameni’s career at Real Madrid
Aurelien Tchouameni made a total of 50 competitive appearances during his maiden season at Real Madrid.
Although the Frenchman was not entirely a first-team regular in Carlo Ancelotti’s setup, his stature in the team is expected to grow in the coming years.
Especially as Toni Kroos and Luka Modric move on at the end of the season, there is scope for Tchouameni to become a first-team regular in the Real Madrid midfield in the years to come.
The former AS Monaco starlet has already played a crucial role in the starting eleven so far this season and it is only going to continue as the season progresses.
