Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
NO FANS? THIS WOULD BE THE SILENT MIRACLE WE’LL GO FOR THE THROAT SAYS LUKA
Robertson says a comeback against Madrid would equal that magical win against Barca
FOR Andy Robertson, another ‘Miracle of Anfield’ is required to keep the Champions League dream alive.
The Liverpool defender is under no illusions about the size of the task against Real Madrid – especially without fans in the stadium – as his side attempt to overturn a 3-1 deficit and progress to the semi-finals.
He believes scoring twice without conceding in an empty Anfield this evening is every bit as tough as smashing four without reply on that incredible night two years ago.
It was then Barcelona were humbled in one of the greatest comebacks in European history.
But he knows if they’ve done it once, they can do it again.
The Scot explained: “Look, they are both as hard. Different games, but similar in a way.
“Barcelona was obviously an incredible night and it wouldn’t have been possible without 55,000 fans in there.
“That’s a fact with the noise they made at the start, the noise they made when we scored the first. And it just carried on and got louder and louder as the night went on.
“Unfortunately now we won’t have that. And we are coming up against the team that is the most experienced in this tournament and have won it the most times.
“So it’s a huge task in front of us.” Not impossible though. Because miracles are not uncommon for Liverpool.
On this day five years ago, they produced another stunning comeback to beat Dortmund on the road to the Europa League final.
And Robertson is convinced there is still belief coursing through Liverpool veins, even if everyone has written them off.
He said: “We believe we can win the game. We believe we can win any game.
“If we do that it gives us a fighting chance, let’s see if it’s enough on the night. Fingers crossed it will be.
“Our aim is to win the game first and foremost. Once we do that, let’s see what the aggregate score is.
“Our determination is to take our chances, keep a clean sheet and make it as uncomfortable for Real Madrid as possible.”
The desire to show the real Liverpool is strong in the squad, Robertson admitted, after a shocking performance in the first leg when they looked shellshocked in the Spanish capital. The pain, he says, is still strong – but the appetite to put things right even stronger.
“It was disappointing walking off the pitch but we have given ourselves a chance, we are still in the tie, we are still in the competition,” he said.
“People have maybe written us off, they think Madrid will go through, so it is up to us to try a n d change that, try to be as positive as we can and put in a performance that can cause them problems.
“Maybe not many give us hope but we believe we can put in a better performance than last week and that gives us a fighting chance.
“We need as close to a perfect performance as we can and if we do I believe it gives us a chance.”
LUKA MODRIC insists Real Madrid will go to Anfield to win.
Real hold a 3-1 lead from the first leg and could be forgiven for a safety-first approach.
But the Croatian says that goes against the Real philosophy and is simply not an option. “We are coming here to win the game, it is simple,” said Modric. “We won’t sit back and try to contain Liverpool. We are going to come out and try to win the game.
“It will be a demanding game and we will be under pressure. But we have to do what we did in the first leg – defend well, yes, but attack well too. We can’t sit back.” Liverpool have a mountain to climb, especially without their fans to roar them on. But former Tottenham midfielder Modric (above) said he would rather face the Kop in full throat to make the European occasion more special.
“To be honest I would like to play at Anfield with a crowd,” he added. “The atmosphere...i have played here with Tottenham a few times, and Real Madrid when we won in 2014, and the atmosphere was amazing.
“Everyone was excited to play in front of that crowd.
“Everyone knows the situation we are in so we have to do as well as we can in the circumstances we are in. It’s a shame, but that is the way it is, and it will still be an important game.
“We know in the history of Real Madrid what an important game this is, and that is our motivation.”