Salah’s Liverpool with a mountain to climb

London/Madrid, Apr 13 (EFE).- Liverpool are looking to learn from lessons of the past as Real Madrid head to Anfield with a 3-1 advantage ahead of the second-leg of the Uefa Champions League quarterfinals on Wednesday.

The Reds will be drawing inspiration from their impressive comeback from a 3-0 first-leg deficit to knock out Barcelona 4-3 on aggregate in the 2018-2019 semifinals to move on to eventually hoist their sixth Champions League.

Liverpool’s 2-1 win over Aston Villa ended their winning drought at home and put them in a better position — at least emotionally — ahead of such a tough task, although some changes are required, especially in defense, to have a chance against Madrid.

Mohamed Salah and Trent Alexander-Arnold fired the Reds over the line against Villa at the weekend.

“A clean sheet will be very important, but it’s not too different from any other game,” coach Jürgen Klopp said during a press conference ahead of the game.

 “You can’t ignore defending, you get punished for sure. I’ve no idea if any team in the world can deny Real from having any chances,” he added.

But injuries do not give him much room for maneuver, as he is expected to repeat the first leg’s starting lineup except for Naby Keita, who is expected be replaced by Thiago Alcantara.

“When you are 3-1 down it looks like we are already out, it means we have not a lot to lose. We will give it a try, that’s the job we have to do. That’s how we will go for it,” the coach said.

Real Madrid will be fighting for their first semifinals appearance in three years, relying on a cushion lead and the experience of coach Zinedine Zidane, who led the team to unprecedented three Champions League titles in a row.

His experience will be tested, not only by a fired-up Liverpool, but also by the defensive woes the club has been struggling with. These were aggravated during the team’s 2-1 win over Barcelona this weekend.