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Two of Germany’s most prominent coaches face off as Julian Nagelsmann’s Leipzig host a Liverpool side led by Jürgen Klopp in their teams’ round of 16 first leg.
• Leipzig are in the round of 16 of the UEFA Champions League for the second time after their debut in 2019/20, securing a return to the round of 16 by finishing second behind Paris Saint-Germain in Group H with a spectacular victory of the sixth day against Liverpool’s national rival Manchester United. Liverpool, meanwhile, came first in Group D, winning four of their six matches to reach this stadium for the fourth season in a row.
• This is the first match between the teams.
Form Guide
Leipzig
• Leipzig have won all three home games of the 2020/21 UEFA Champions League, beating Istanbul Başakşehir (2-0) and Paris Saint-Germain (2-1) before the 3-2 win over United in the sixth day, which ensured the progression. They lost their first two away games, losing 5-0 to United and 1-0 in Paris, but registered a crucial 4-3 victory at Istanbul Başakşehir on Matchday 5, substitute Alexander Sørloth scoring an overtime winner.
• This is Leipzig’s third UEFA Champions League campaign, all in the past four seasons, and their fourth foray into European football overall.
• The 2019/20 season proved to be the most successful in Leipzig’s brief European history, with Nagelsmann’s side reaching the semi-finals of the UEFA Champions League. Leipzig collected 11 points to finish first in their section – they had finished third in their two previous UEFA group stage campaigns – ahead of Lyon, Benfica and Zenit.
• Leipzig went on to defeat 2018/19 finalist Tottenham in their first UEFA Champions League knockout game (1-0 a, 3-0 h) and Atlético de Madrid (2-1) in their a unique quarter-final in Lisbon before a 3-0 semi-final defeat against Paris.
• Leipzig have now won 12 of their 22 UEFA Champions League games (D3 L7).
• The Germans have won their last four European home games and are undefeated on their home turf since a 2-0 loss to Lyon on Matchday 2 last season; their subsequent home record is W5 D1.
• Third in the Bundesliga for the second consecutive season in 2019/20, this is Leipzig’s fourth European campaign and only their 41st game. In 2017/18, they became the first team to make their European debut in the UEFA Champions League group stage.
• Matchday six’s victory at home against Manchester United this season has given Leipzig three wins in four games against English clubs, although the exception, a 5-0 loss at Old Trafford, was their heaviest European defeat.
Liverpool
• The Reds have won their first three games in this season’s competition without conceding, beating Ajax (1-0) and Atalanta (5-0) away and Midtjylland (2-0) at home. A 2-0 loss for the Italian side on Matchday 4 was their first group stage loss at Anfield since October 2014, but the progression and first place were secured by another 1-0 win over Ajax on the fifth day before a 1-1 draw at Midtjylland.
• Liverpool were English champions for the 19th time in 2019/20, their first league title since 1990.
• The Reds are in the UEFA Champions League for the 13th time; this is the tenth time they have reached the bottom 16.
• Klopp’s side also finished top of Group E in 2019/20, recovering from the loss of their 2-0 opener in Napoli to advance 13 points ahead of the Italian club. They sealed the progress of Matchday 6 with a 2-0 victory in Salzburg.
• Liverpool won their sixth European Cup in 2018/19 but their trophy defense came to a halt in the round of 16 with Atlético winning 1-0 in Spain and, after extra time, 3-2 at Anfield . The latter result ended Liverpool’s 25-game unbeaten circuit in Europe (S18 D7), since a 3-0 loss to Real Madrid on October 22, 2014, and was their first cumulative loss in 12 knockout matches at two in UEFA competition.
• Liverpool have won 13 of their last 21 European matches (D3 L5).
• Liverpool’s last game against a Bundesliga team was in the 2018/19 UEFA Champions League, a round of 16 victory over Bayern München (0-0 hrs, 3-1 yrs) which set their match record. two against German clubs W15 L2. They have won the last five games, since an overall loss to Bayer Leverkusen in the 2001/02 quarter-finals (1-0 hrs, 2-4 yrs).
• The Reds are unbeaten in ten games for German clubs since the 2002 loss at Leverkusen (W7 D3) – their only loss in their last 18 games (W11 D6).
• Liverpool are undefeated in five matches in Germany (W3 D2), where their overall record is W4 D9 L5.
• Last season’s loss to Atlético in the round of 16 is Liverpool’s only loss in their last six away matches in the UEFA Champions League (W4 D1).
• The Merseyside club are in the round of 16 for the fourth consecutive season and ninth overall; their record is W6 L2. The two losses came as starters; against Benfica in 2005/06 (0-1 a, 0-2 h) and Atlético last season.
• The elimination of Atlético last season was Liverpool’s first total defeat in the UEFA Champions League since a 7-5 loss to Chelsea in the 2008/09 quarter-finals.
• Before last season, the Reds were unbeaten in eight matches in the round of 16 of the UEFA Champions League (S6 D2); they had kept seven consecutive clean sheets before conceding to Bayern in 2018/19. Their previous loss before losing to Atlético was a 1-0 home loss to Barcelona in the 2006/07 second leg; they won the draw on away goals after triumphing 2-1 in Spain.
Links and anecdotes
• Klopp’s Liverpool beat Nagelsmann’s Hoffenheim 6-3 overall in the 2017/18 UEFA Champions League play-offs, with Trent Alexander-Arnold opening the scoring in a 2-1 first leg win at Sinsheim in front of goals of Mohamed Salah and former Hoffenheim striker Roberto Firmino helped the English club to a 4-2 victory at Anfield.
• Naby Keïta was a Leipzig player between 2016 and 2018, when he joined Liverpool. He scored 17 goals in 71 appearances for Leipzig, where his teammates included Péter Gulácsi, Marcel Halstenberg, Lukas Klostermann, Willy Orban, Emil Forsberg, Marcel Sabitzer, Kevin Kampl, Ibrahima Konaté, Dayot Upamecano, Konrad Laimer and Yussuf Poulsen.
• Gulácsi was registered for Liverpool between 2007 and 2013, but did not make a first-team appearance. He was loaned out to Hereford United (2009), Tranmere (2010) and Hull (2011/12) before leaving permanently for Salzburg in 2013.
• Also played in Germany:
Joël Matip (Schalke 2000–16)
Thiago Alcántara (Bayern Munich 2013-20)
Xherdan Shaqiri (Bayern Munich 2012-15)
Roberto Firmino (Hoffenheim 2011–15)
Divock Origi (Wolfsburg 2017/18)
Nathaniel Phillips (Stuttgart loan 2019/20)
• Also played in England:
Angeliño (Manchester City 2013-18, 2019)
Alexander Sørloth (Crystal Palace 2018-19)
• International teammates:
Dani Olmo & Thiago Alcántara (Spain)
Justin Kluivert & Georginio Wijnaldum, Virgil van Dijk (Netherlands)
• Have played together:
Marcel Sabitzer & Takumi Minamino (Salzburg 2016-18, 2019/20)
Hee-chan Hwang and Takumi Minamino (Salzburg 2015)
Konrad Laimer and Takumi Minamino (Salzburg 2015-17)
• Justin Kluivert and Alisson were teammates briefly at Roma in the summer of 2018.
• Klopp was a Borussia Dortmund coach when Kevin Kampl joined the club in January 2015.
• Thiago scored in Bayern’s 3-0 Bundesliga win over Leipzig on December 21, 2016. He was also on target in a 5-4 win at Bayern on May 13, 2017, with Sabitzer and Poulsen among the scorers from Leipzig.
• Firmino scored in Brazil’s 2-1 loss to Austria by Sabitzer in a friendly on 18 November 2014, his first international goal in his second appearance.
• Wijnaldum’s goal saw the Netherlands win 4-2 against a German side, including Klostermann, in the UEFA EURO 2020 qualifiers on 6 September 2019.
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