Liverpool vs. Real Madrid history: Head-to-head matches, last meeting, team records in UEFA Champions League matches

Feargal Brennan

•
Liverpool vs. Real Madrid history: Head-to-head matches, last meeting, team records in UEFA Champions League matches image

Liverpool renewed acquaintances with Real Madrid on November 26 as Los Blancos visited Anfield on Matchday Five of the 2024/25 UEFA Champions League.

Madrid proved to be Jurgen Klopp's kryptonite during his time in charge on Merseyside, with no wins from six games against the Spanish giants.

Alongside being knocked out of both the 2021/22 and 2022/23 tournaments, Liverpool's real mental block in this fixture comes from their 2018 and 2022 Champions League final defeats.

Klopp's side rode a wave of positivity on route to both only to be outmanoeuvred by Real Madrid's consistent ability to get the job done on the biggest stage in European football.

It seems Arne Slot might have better luck. His side claimed a deserved 2-0 win against an injury-ravaged Madrid side, ending that long wait for a win over Los Blancos.

WATCH: UEFA Champions League with a FREE trial of Paramount+ in USA | A new era of UEFA Champions League in Australia, only on Stan Sport

Liverpool vs. Real Madrid history, head to head

In total, Liverpool and Real Madrid have faced each other 12 times, with Real Madrid winning seven, Liverpool four, and one game ending in a draw.

Three of those 12 meetings have come in European finals, with Real Madrid tasting victory twice in the Champions League era, but the Reds emerged as winners in the 1981 European Cup final.

There was a major gap in meetings from then until 2009, before Rafa Benitez's side won home and away against his future employers in the 2008/09 Round of 16.

However, that proved to be the exception to the rule, as Madrid flexed their muscles in meetings under Klopp, with the defending champions proving too much for the German coach on multiple occasions.

Liverpool vs. Real Madrid past meetings

Liverpool wins over Real Madrid have been few and far between with Ancelotti and Zinedine Zidane consistently getting the better of Klopp and his players before the German's departure in 2024.

Ancelotti in particular has been a scourge of Liverpool during his career, beating them in the 2007 final as AC Milan boss, with Real Madrid in 2022, and ending Everton's winless Anfield run in the Premier League in 2021. However, his latest visit to Merseyside was far less enjoyable.

Liverpool vs. Real Madrid: Past meetings
DateCompetitionResultScorers
Nov. 26, 2024UEFA Champions LeagueLiverpool 2-0 Real MadridMac Allister (52), Gakpo (76)
Mar. 15, 2023UEFA Champions LeagueReal Madrid 1-0 LiverpoolBenzema (78)
Feb. 21, 2023UEFA Champions LeagueLiverpool 2-5 Real MadridNunez (4), Salah (14); Vinicius Jr (21, 36), Miliato (47), Benzema (55, 67)
May 28, 2022UEFA Champions LeagueLiverpool 0-1 Real MadridVinicius Jr (59)
Apr. 14, 2021UEFA Champions LeagueLiverpool 0-0 Real MadridN/A
Apr. 6, 2021UEFA Champions LeagueReal Madrid 3-1 LiverpoolVinicius Jr (27, 65), Asensio (36); Salah (51)
May 26, 2018UEFA Champions LeagueLiverpool 1-3 Real MadridBenzema (51), Bale (64, 83); Mane (55)
Nov. 4, 2014UEFA Champions LeagueReal Madrid 1-0 LiverpoolBenzema (27)
Oct. 24, 2014UEFA Champions LeagueLiverpool 0-3 Real MadridRonaldo (23), Benzema (30, 41)
Mar. 10, 2009UEFA Champions LeagueLiverpool 4-0 Real Madrid 0Torres (16), Gerrard (28, 47), Dossena (88)
Feb. 25, 2009UEFA Champions LeagueReal Madrid 0-1 LiverpoolBenayoun (82)
May 27, 1981European CupReal Madrid 0-1 LiverpoolKennedy (81)

Last Liverpool vs. Real Madrid match

Liverpool's 2-0 win at Anfield in November 2024 was their last meeting with Madrid.

Alexis Mac Allister and Cody Gakpo each scored in the second half to secure a deserved victory for Slot's side. Both Kylian Mbappe and Mohamed Salah missed penalties in the match.

Liverpool vs. Real Madrid in Champions League finals

Liverpool fans of a certain vintage will remember Alan Kennedy's late winner in the 1981 European Cup as they became the first English side to beat Real Madrid in a continental final.

And despite the positivity of successive wins over the La Liga superpower under Benitez, the period since has seen seven defeats and a draw under Brendan Rodgers and Klopp.

Real Madrid's route to the 2018 Kyiv final saw them beat domestic champions from France, Italy and Germany (PSG, Juventus and Bayern Munich) as Liverpool won their Premier League battle with City and survived a Roma fightback in the semifinals.

The final was remembered for a series of controversial moments, including Mohamed Salah's injury-enforced exit after tangling with Sergio Ramos, Loris Karius' error, and Gareth Bale's wondergoal off the bench.

In assessing the contest, an important element was the measure of how far Liverpool had come under Klopp and yet how much further they still needed to go to reach Madrid's ruthless level.

The 2021 quarterfinal meeting was almost forgettable, played at Real Madrid's training ground and an empty Anfield due to Covid-19, and the Spaniards again had too much.

A quickfire chance to turn the tide was offered to Liverpool in the 2022 final in Paris on a difficult night for the travelling Reds fans.

Disastrous planning and security outside the Stade de France saw thousands of supporters miss kickoff — as French police and stewards came in for major criticism of their handling of the game — with a 2023 inquiry blaming UEFA for the dangerous scenes and exonerating Liverpool fans.

Events on the pitch almost took a back seat as a result, with Vinicius Junior's goal proving the difference as the sense of Real Madrid having an unrivalled ability to turn up the tempo when needed proved crucial.

If you purchase a product or register for an account through one of the links on our site, we may receive compensation. Learn more >

Feargal Brennan

Feargal Brennan Photo

Feargal is a content producer for The Sporting News. He has been working with TSN since the start of 2022 after stints with Reach, Amazon UK and Squawka in a nomadic career in the football media pyramid. Always with a keen eye on Arteta's 'Reds' and Kenny's Ireland 'Greens' and a 100% five-a-side penalty record.