Liverpool play Manchester City, Chelsea and Arsenal in consecutive matches at the start of April, making up a week that Jurgen Klopp acknowledges could be "pretty decisive" in the Reds' season.

After being knocked out of the Champions League by Real Madrid on Wednesday, Liverpool's only remaining aim is securing a return to Europe's elite club competition for next season.

That is no guarantee in a difficult campaign, sitting sixth, six points behind Tottenham with a game in hand and two points behind Newcastle United having played a game more.

Consistency has deserted Klopp's side, as shown by their 1-0 defeat to Bournemouth six days on from a 7-0 victory over Manchester United.

But Klopp is determined to achieve a top-four finish and knows just how vital the next stretch of fixtures could prove.

"Of course, it is 'the' competition and we want to be part of it every year," the manager said. "That's a massive task for us, we all know that.

"When we come back from the international break, we have a proper football week ahead of us, I would say, with three games: City, Chelsea and Arsenal, which will then probably define what we get out of it.

"People might say we lost it in Bournemouth, but I think this week is a pretty decisive one, so we have to hope now the boys come back healthy, early enough, in the right shape and then we will try it."

Klopp was speaking after the 1-0 loss to Madrid, which was followed by the LaLiga giants playing Liverpool anthem You'll Never Walk Alone in the stadium.

"It is a really nice gesture," Klopp said. "We are two heavyweights who meet each other quite frequently in international football.

"I think it is clear we respect each other a lot, and whoever did it, whoever was doing something like that, [made] a really nice gesture, I have to say.

"I was not angry after the game, but I was disappointed. I would be angry if we would have played better and it was close and then they win because of a penalty which was not a penalty or stuff like this.

"But in the end that all didn't happen. Real Madrid were just the better side and I am long enough in the business to respect that."

Luciano Spalletti believes Napoli's current team is a greater collective unit than the Partenopei sides which Diego Maradona inspired to two Serie A titles.

Napoli reached the Champions League quarter-finals for the first time on Wednesday, completing a 5-0 aggregate triumph in their last-16 tie against Eintracht Frankfurt.

A Victor Osimhen brace and a Piotr Zielinski penalty guided Napoli to a 3-0 win at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona, with last season's Europa League winners failing to land a blow on Spalletti's men.

With Napoli set to end a 33-year wait to win Serie A after building an 18-point lead at the summit, comparisons have been made with the sides Maradona led to the Scudetto in 1986-87 and 1989-90.

However, Spalletti feels his team are less reliant on individual brilliance, saying: "There is a key difference – nobody wins games alone like Maradona did. 

"We manage to make up for our shortcomings thanks to collective work. Tonight I saw many elements combine and play a messy game, which sometimes you need. 

"It's not just that the important individuals create an outlet. To make the most of it, you need those who scrape and clean up situations for the players with more quality."

While Napoli's remarkable rise has been a collective effort, Osimhen produced another talismanic forward display against Eintracht as he reached 23 goals for the campaign.

The Nigeria international has scored 13 times since the turn of the year – a tally only bettered by Marcus Rashford (15) among players from Europe's top five leagues – and Spalletti says there is more to come.

"He's already a world-class player, a great world-class player," Spalletti said of Osimhen. "He still has untapped potential – a lot of it – so we're pleased. 

"In addition to scoring goals, he cleans up situations when the opposing team presses us, he creates opportunities for us. He has these flashes. 

"Everything is correct with him, and we need to build on these matches both individually and collectively to be even more ready for the following games."

Carlo Ancelotti believes the high-press system favoured by Liverpool worked in Real Madrid's favour as the holders sealed a safe passage through to the Champions League quarter-finals.

Karim Benzema scored the only goal of Wednesday's last-16 second leg to complete a 6-2 aggregate win for Madrid, who have eliminated Liverpool from the competition for three seasons running, which includes last season's final.

The damage was ultimately done in the reverse fixture at Anfield three weeks ago when Madrid scored five goals in the space of 46 minutes to recover from two goals down and take control of the tie.

Liverpool had a number of chances at Santiago Bernabeu, but Madrid also tested Alisson five times before Benzema tapped in to inflict a joint-heaviest defeat on the Reds in a two-legged European tie.

Toni Kroos and Luka Modric helped control play for the hosts, and Ancelotti puts that down to Liverpool's playing style, which has brought plenty of success and trophies to Anfield in recent years but has not been as efficient this season.

"Pressing up high for them has cost them because Modric and Kroos manage very well in these types of matches," Ancelotti told Movistar+.

"They are not afraid and are able to get the ball out from the back. It has cost [Liverpool] in this sense."

 Madrid are through to the quarter-finals for a 19th time in the Champions League era – once more than LaLiga rivals Barcelona, and behind only Bundesliga heavyweights Bayern Munich (21 times).

Ancelotti decided against making any substitutions until after Benzema's 78th-minute breakthrough, despite having a trip to Barca on Sunday, with the Italian explaining he was wary of Liverpool finding a route back into the tie.

"The team was fine. There's no need to change for the sake of changing," he said. "I wanted to keep the substitutions to stop the game if we had problems at the end. 

"I liked the team. On a psychological level, in a game like this when you have a three-goal lead, you can lower your level... but we didn't lower it today."

Madrid had a late penalty appeal rejected following a VAR review in added time after a goal-bound shot hit Kostas Tsimikas on the arm, but Ancelotti had no complaints over the decision.

Asked about his conversation with Klopp at the end of the game, Ancelotti said: "We agreed it wasn't a handball. We talked about yesterday's penalty against Leipzig in the [Manchester City] game.

"You have to be careful with decisions like that because it's not football. I don't think anyone noticed it was a penalty, not even [Pep] Guardiola."

Ancelotti will take charge of a Champions League quarter-final for a 13th time, taking him ahead of Manchester United great Alex Ferguson and level with Guardiola (13) for the joint-most of any manager.

Victor Osimhen believes Napoli are good enough to win the Champions League after they reached the competition's quarter-finals for the first time with an emphatic win over Eintracht Frankfurt.

Osimhen scored twice as Napoli ran out 3-0 winners in Wednesday's last-16 second leg at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona, securing a 5-0 aggregate success over last season's Europa League winners.

Piotr Zielinski also netted from the penalty spot as Napoli posted their fourth win in as many home Champions League games this season – the Partenopei have scored three or more goals in each of those victories.

With Napoli's tally of 26 Champions League goals unmatched by any other team this campaign, Osimhen believes the runaway Serie A leaders are capable of delivering European glory.

"I think anything is possible and we have the squad to achieve this dream," Osimhen told BT Sport.

"We want to go step by step and we will see what happens at the end of the season.

"It feels good to make history with this win. It was huge win. Congratulations to the team on a good performance from the whole squad."

Asked whether he had any preference regarding Napoli's quarter-final opponents, the striker said: "We are a top club and it would be good to have a draw with another top club.

"It's going to be a huge match, it's going to be great. We are ready for it, and we are ready for any big team we might have to play." 

Osimhen became the first Napoli player to score in both legs of a European Cup/Champions League knockout tie and he passed up the chance for a hat-trick by allowing Zielinski to take the Partenopei's penalty.

"With the penalty, Zielinski asked me if he could take it," he revealed. "Of course, I'm a team player and it doesn't matter who scores as long as the team achieves success. 

"I know my goals will come with or without that penalty. It's good to have that kind of mentality in the squad, and I'm happy about the three goals."

Zielinski believes Napoli's competitors should be nervous about the prospect of facing them, saying: "We want to do the best we can. It is obvious that everyone wants to go all the way.

"Whoever we get in the draw, we want to play our football and go through to the next round. Whoever we get, we will be ready to fight.

"I think teams should be afraid of this Napoli team. We are in great shape and everyone who faces us struggles to get a result. We can do great things this season."

Jurgen Klopp was disappointed Liverpool were not able to produce a "special performance" against Real Madrid, meaning they would have been eliminated from the Champions League regardless of the first-leg collapse.

Liverpool headed to the Santiago Bernabeu for the return match in the last 16 with a huge task, needing to overturn a 5-2 deficit.

Klopp's Reds were unable to do that as they instead lost 1-0 to a Karim Benzema goal and bowed out 6-2 on aggregate.

While the nature of the heavy defeat at Anfield in the first match impacted on Liverpool's attempts to rescue the tie on Wednesday, Klopp pointed out even a draw at home would not have been enough if Madrid then controlled the second game.

"To be honest, if we draw at home and play the game that we played tonight, we go out probably as well," Klopp told BT Sport. "We cannot come here and hope that you get something.

"We prepared for a special performance, but we were not able to put it on the pitch tonight.

"It was obvious, I think – nobody is thinking, 'how could Liverpool go out?' That's probably the best sign that the right team went through."

He added: "In three halves of the two games, they were the better team. That's how you go through to the next round."

Liverpool at least avoided another embarrassment, albeit only after Alisson impressed in goal, making two "sensational saves", according to Klopp.

"Not all exits are like this," the manager said. "There are probably 500,000 different ways to go out, and this was ours tonight.

"It's not what we wanted, but it's what we got. Now we have to carry on."

Jurgen Klopp gave Liverpool just a "one per cent chance" of conjuring one of the great all-time Champions League comebacks in Wednesday's last-16 second leg with Real Madrid.

For any other club, maybe, but this is a side that wrote the book on making the impossible possible in the biggest club competition of them all – none more so than their triumph from three goals down against Milan in the 2005 final.

One of four sides to have progressed from a tie having lost the first leg by three or more goals – doing so against Barcelona in the 2018-19 semi-finals – Liverpool simply could not be completely written off.

Even as Karim Benzema fired in Madrid's fifth goal in their 5-2 win at Anfield three weeks ago, there was still that glimmer of hope. The one per cent chance, as Klopp put it.

In the end it was the prolific striker's 78th-minute tap-in that settled the second leg, extinguishing those lingering thoughts among the travelling fans high up in the away end that this would be another of those nights.

Incredibly, that Benzema goal came from the 11th shot on target of the second leg, with the first half in particular on a par with what we witnessed on Merseyside, albeit without the goals to show for it.

But for some fine goalkeeping from Thibaut Courtois, channelling his display from last season's showpiece in Paris between these heavyweights when making the most saves on record in a final, who knows what could have happened?

Courtois made four saves in the first half alone, three of those attempts from the energetic Darwin Nunez, who only just about managed as many passes (five) in the opening 45 minutes.

The 17 first-half shots attempted at both ends were just one fewer than the whole of the contest at Anfield, while the eight on-target attempts were the most in a Champions League knockout tie without a goal since the 2013 final.

This latest tussle between clubs boasting 20 European Cups between them certainly did not let down in terms of entertainment as a one-off, but Liverpool's inability to find a way through denied neutrals the jeopardy they tuned in for.

Instead it was Madrid who found a way, as they so often do, to remain on course for a sixth Champions League crown in under a decade. It is a period of dominance the like of which the competition has never seen.

While other teams may have given the Reds that route into the contest they craved, Madrid simply know how to get the job done on the big stage, even if they have struggled for consistency domestically this season.

This is the 27th time in 28 European Cup and Champions League ties they have advanced after winning the first leg away from home, the exception being their 5-3 aggregate defeat to Ajax at this stage in the 2018-19 season.

It was ultimately in that first leg at Anfield the damage was done, a five-goal blast in the space of 46 minutes of playing time completely blowing Liverpool away in a match they led 2-0 at one point.

Not many would have believed you after 20 minutes of the first leg at Anfield if you'd told them that Liverpool would go on to suffer a record equalling defeat across two legs of a European tie.

If not for Alisson, it may well have been a higher margin of defeat in what was an end-to-end game, the Reds keeper making six saves either side of Benzema's finish, which was his final action before limping off ahead of El Clasico.

It was that type of game, as both men between the sticks arguably proved their respective teams' best player.

And so there was to be no magical Madrid comeback for Liverpool, but nor too did they get annihilated in a match that saw them commit players forward in desperate search of that much-needed first goal.

The Reds' sole focus is now on a top-four battle in the Premier League, a far cry from 12 months ago when they already had one cup in the bag and were in hot pursuit of three more.

The era of the 'mentality monsters' is surely over. The question is whether Klopp can get a tune out of the new group he is assembling on the back of this record-equalling loss on the continent. Now that really would be some comeback.

Real Madrid cruised into the Champions League quarter-finals as Liverpool never threatened the three-goal fightback they required in a 1-0 defeat at the Santiago Bernabeu.

European champions Madrid had claimed a brilliant 5-2 win in England in the first leg of their last-16 tie, leaving Liverpool a mighty uphill battle in Wednesday's return match.

The Reds defence – and Alisson in particular – at least gave their team-mates a platform from which to build this time, but the goal threat that had briefly concerned Madrid on Merseyside was less evident.

Eventually, Karim Benzema, that familiar foe, put Jurgen Klopp's side out of their misery as Madrid continued their bid for yet another crown in their favourite competition of all.

The goalkeepers were the undoubted stars of a goalless first half, with Alisson brilliantly blocking from Vinicius Junior at close quarters and soon touching Eduardo Camavinga's deflected shot onto the crossbar. A VAR review might have overturned the offside given against Vinicius when he was denied again by Alisson.

Those stops just about kept Liverpool in the tie, but Thibaut Courtois – the hero of last season's final between the sides – was not to be outdone. His fingertip stop from Darwin Nunez was as impressive as any of Alisson's saves, and he then beat away a thunderous Cody Gakpo drive.

Federico Valverde ran through early in the second half but scuffed straight at Alisson, with the same man heading over following excellent work on the left from Luka Modric. Benzema also missed the target when well placed on his right foot.

The chances continued to fall Madrid's way, however, and Benzema made no mistake when Vinicius miscued his finish and instead prodded to his team-mate for an open goal in the 78th minute.

Benzema took a kick in the process, but that was about the extent of Madrid's concern in a dominant 6-2 aggregate triumph.

What does it mean? Madrid never under threat

Klopp had acknowledged Liverpool would have to be "extremely good" to stand any chance, and they were not that in an attacking sense – particularly in the second half.

Still three goals behind in the tie with 45 minutes to play, the visitors needed to let the handbrake off but instead struggled to pose any sort of threat.

After a James Milner shot in the 37th minute – their eighth of the match – Liverpool went until Harvey Elliott's tame effort in the 83rd minute before mustering another attempt.

Courtois king again

This was more like the Courtois who made a match-winning nine saves in the Paris final than the man whose early mishap had Liverpool in control of this tie for a time at Anfield.

It may have been comfortable in the end, but Courtois made four crucial saves in the first half when a goal might have invited tension.

Salah so disappointing

Mohamed Salah's woeful penalty at Bournemouth on Saturday consigned Liverpool to a Premier League defeat, yet at least that registered as an attempt. He did not have a single shot here.

Although Salah created a pair of chances for team-mates, he was also painfully wasteful in the final third, where he misplaced only four passes but seemed to kill momentum each time.

What's next?

It will be Madrid's turn to chase a result on Sunday when they go to Barcelona for the Clasico. Liverpool do not play again before the international break, which is followed by a daunting trip to Manchester City.

Victor Osimhen scored twice as Napoli reached the Champions League quarter-finals for the first time on Wednesday, helping Luciano Spalletti's men to a 3-0 second-leg win over Eintracht Frankfurt.

Osimhen netted either side of half-time in another talismanic display for the runaway Serie A leaders, who sealed a 5-0 aggregate triumph across a tie overshadowed by violent clashes between supporters.

Piotr Zielinski won and converted a penalty to make it 3-0 as Eintracht toiled without suspended forward Randal Kolo Muani at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona.

After swatting last season's Europa League winners aside, Napoli will be seen as a team to avoid when they join fellow Italian giants Milan and Inter in Friday's last-eight draw.

Napoli made a typically fast start as Matteo Politano tested Kevin Trapp with a low drive in the first minute, before the goalkeeper denied Khvicha Kvaratskhelia at the end of slaloming run.

Oliver Glasner's well-drilled visitors kept Napoli at bay for much of the first half, though they were again indebted to Trapp for keeping out Kvaratskhelia's prodded attempt 40 minutes in.

Eintracht were unable to make it to half-time, however, with Osimhen hanging in the air to head Politano's cross into the top-right corner after a fine pass from Stanislav Lobotka.

Osimhen needed just eight minutes to grab his brace after the restart, stretching to divert Giovanni Di Lorenzo's low cross home from inside the six-yard box.

Trapp denied Kvaratskhelia for a third time when the Georgian attempted a curling shot on the hour mark, but he was unable to prevent Zielinski from making it 3-0 from 12 yards after the midfielder was clumsily tripped by Djibril Sow.

Eintracht Frankfurt supporters clashed with police on the streets of Naples after travelling for Wednesday's Champions League fixture against Napoli despite a ban on visiting fans being in place.

Videos on social media showed crowds throwing missiles at officers wielding riot shields, while a police car appeared to be engulfed in flames.

Italy's deputy prime minister Matteo Salvini responded to one video of the clashes on Instagram, writing: "These are not fans, they are criminals and delinquents. 

"I wonder if they would make the same mess in Germany. Maximum solidarity and support to the police forces."

The Italian Ministry of the Interior barred Eintracht supporters from the match after crowd trouble overshadowed last month's last-16 first leg in Germany – a 2-0 win for Napoli.

Eintracht attempted to reverse that measure, but they ultimately opted to forgo their away allocation after the Administrative Court of Campania upheld a decree barring Frankfurt residents from purchasing tickets. 

However, widespread reports in the build-up to Wednesday's game said some visiting supporters were in the city, while there were local reports suggesting Napoli ultras had also become involved.

Eintracht were previously charged by UEFA with racist behaviour, lighting of fireworks, throwing of objects and acts of damage after crowd trouble also marred their Champions League fixture at Marseille in September. 

Manchester City may have progressed to the Champions League quarter-finals after a 7-0 thrashing of RB Leipzig but it was their local rivals who got one over on Pep Guardiola.

Erling Haaland was the leading light with five goals as City secured an 8-1 aggregate victory over Leipzig but it was Guardiola's post-match comments that caught the eye.

The City manager revealed he will always feel like a "failure" after he failed to meet one of his idols – Hollywood A-lister Julia Roberts – when she came to visit Manchester in 2016. 

In a bizarre twist to his press conference, Guardiola explained his hurt over the fact Roberts had slept with the enemy.

"She came in the period when we were better than United, these four or five years," he said.

"And she went to visit Man United. She didn't come to see us.

"So, even if I win the Champions League, it cannot compare to the fact Julia Roberts came to Manchester and did not come to see us. My idol." 

United were quick to remind Guardiola of the fact on Wednesday, with a post on social media showing photos of Roberts' visit to Old Trafford in 2016. 

The caption read: "Throwing it back to when Julia Roberts visited Old Trafford."

Roberts visited the Theatre of Dreams in November 2016 though United were unable to hook three points in her presence, only managing to draw 1-1 with West Ham.

She then met players from the squad with her children after the game. 

The only thing to be sure about with the Champions League, is that nothing's for sure.

That is at least what Liverpool fans will be telling themselves as Jurgen Klopp's men prepare to try to overturn a three-goal first-leg deficit against Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabeu on Wednesday.

Carlo Ancelotti continued his habit of terrorising Liverpool as his team staged a comeback of their own, recovering from 2-0 down at Anfield to run out 5-2 winners.

The LaLiga giants also defeated the Reds in last season's Champions League final, and so the hunger for revenge should be strong, but to come back against a team as strong as Madrid seems fanciful... or so it would seem.

Perhaps the most famous comeback in the competition's history is Liverpool breaking Ancelotti's heart in the final in Istanbul in 2005 as they turned around a three-goal margin in six second-half minutes before beating Milan on penalties, and Stats Perform has taken a look at some of the most notable second-leg Champions League comebacks of all-time to see if there is any cause for optimism for Klopp's team.

Deportivo La Coruna v Milan – Quarter-finals, 2003-04

Speaking of Ancelotti's Milan, they had a strange relationship with the Champions League over a three-year period between the 2002-03 season and that famous night in Istanbul 18 years ago.

The Rossoneri won the 2003 final against Juventus on penalties after an astonishingly dull 120 minutes at Old Trafford, before their agonising defeat to Liverpool at the same stage two years later.

What happened in between might have been the most bizarre of the lot, though.

In the last eight of the 2003-04 season, Milan eased to a 4-1 win against Spanish side Deportivo La Coruna in the first leg at San Siro.

It would turn out to be a strange season for the competition overall, with upsets all over the place, but none as remarkable as Deportivo's turnaround in the second leg at the Riazor Stadium.

Three goals in the first half from Walter Pandiani, Juan Carlos Valeron and Albert Luque put them ahead on away goals, before substitute Gonzalo Fran sealed a sensational 4-0 win in the second half to take the tie 5-4 on aggregate.

Barcelona v Paris Saint-Germain – Last 16, 2016-17

The biggest and arguably most famous comeback in Champions League history, Barcelona looked dead and buried after a 4-0 trouncing at the hands of PSG at the Parc des Princes in the first leg.

Goals from Angel Di Maria (two), Julian Draxler and Edinson Cavani looked to have put the tie to bed before the second leg at Camp Nou had even begun.

Luis Suarez scored just three minutes in to provide hope, while a Layvin Kurzawa own goal just before half-time was followed by a penalty from Lionel Messi just after as the impossible suddenly looked possible.

Cavani scored what seemed to be a crucial away goal for PSG just after the hour though as hopes began to fade for the Catalans.

In the closing stages, head coach Luis Enrique raised eyebrows when he turned to Sergi Roberto from the bench, hardly known for his goalscoring exploits at a time when they needed three in a short period.

Neymar made it 4-1 on the night in the 88th minute with what most assumed was just a consolation, before Barca were given a penalty soon after, which the Brazilian also dispatched.

With seconds remaining deep into stoppage time, Neymar lofted a ball into the box to find Sergi Roberto, who applied the finish and sealed an unbelievable 6-5 aggregate win.

Roma v Barcelona – Quarter-final, 2017-18

Of course, what goes around, comes around and Barca were on the wrong end of a dramatic turnaround just a year later.

Their 4-1 home win in the first leg had them full of confidence heading to the Italian capital for the second.

As with Barca's comeback against PSG, the return encounter started with an early goal, with Edin Dzeko finding the net just six minutes in at the Stadio Olimpico.

The Blaugrana held out until half-time without further damage, but Daniele De Rossi scored a penalty to bring Roma to within one goal of going through on away goals.

With eight minutes remaining, Kostas Manolas headed in a corner at the near post to send the home fans into absolute delirium and improbably take the Serie A side through.

It was a chastening experience for Barca, but surely it was just a one-off...

Liverpool v Barcelona – Semi-final, 2018-19

After a 3-0 win against the Premier League challengers at home, Barca had put themselves in a strong position again, but this time with the caution that was necessary after their humbling by Roma.

Yet again, an early goal gave hope to the optimists as Divock Origi bundled in the opener for Liverpool in the seventh minute, but yet again, Barca held out until the break, knowing Liverpool still needed two just to take it to extra-time.

Those two arrived in very quick succession as half-time substitute Giorginio Wijnaldum made it 2-0 in the 54th minute with a sweeping finish before heading in a third less than two minutes later.

All the momentum was with Liverpool, and with an almost inevitable amount of farce, a quickly-taken corner by Trent Alexander-Arnold caught the visitors napping as Origi slammed in a fourth.

Two seasons in a row, Barca had thrown away three-goal leads from the first leg, amounting for half of the four occasions it has happened in the competition's history.

Manchester United v Paris Saint-Germain – Last 16, 2018-19

While this was not a comeback from a three-goal deficit, it is the only example of a tie in which the team that has played the second leg away from home has won despite losing the first leg by more than one goal.

PSG outclassed United at Old Trafford, winning 2-0 thanks to goals from Presnel Kimpembe and Kylian Mbappe, while Paul Pogba was sent off late on for the hosts.

The dominant nature of the win more than anything else is why few gave United a hope of turning things around in Paris, but once more, an early goal changed the mood as Romelu Lukaku scored in the Parc des Princes with less than two minutes played.

Juan Bernat equalised soon after, but Lukaku restored United's lead on the half-hour mark.

PSG tried to put their English opponents away but in stoppage time, conceded a penalty for handball against Kimpembe, allowing Marcus Rashford to fire home to give the Red Devils a place in the history books.

So where does this leave Liverpool's chances of overcoming a three-goal deficit in Madrid?

Well, Los Blancos have only lost at home by a three-goal margin twice in the Champions League, both in the 2018-19 campaign, going down 3-0 to CSKA Moscow in the group stage and 4-1 against Ajax in the last-16 second leg.

Meanwhile, Liverpool have won an away game in the Champions League by three or more goals on 10 occasions, eight of which have come under Klopp, while they only very recently beat Manchester United 7-0 in the Premier League, albeit that was at Anfield and was swiftly followed by a limp 1-0 defeat at Bournemouth on Saturday.

You could argue that if it were any other team than Madrid, who seem to have a spell over the famous tournament, you would give Liverpool a chance of doing it such is their own record of dramatic appearances in the Champions League.

It seems like an impossible task, but you could also argue that if ever there were an opponent who could do such a thing to Madrid, it may be the Reds, especially given their past with Ancelotti.

It would certainly raise an eyebrow.

The Champions League knockout stages are renowned for delivering high drama, and that will be required if Liverpool and Eintracht Frankfurt are to progress to the last eight.

Both Liverpool and Eintracht face uphill battles to reach the quarter-finals having been comfortably beaten at home in the first legs of their respective last-16 ties.

Eintracht lost 2-0 to Napoli, while Liverpool have the task of overturning a 5-2 first-leg deficit against Real Madrid, the team who beat them in last year's final.

Although you can never count Liverpool out of any tie, the omens are squarely against either trailing side completing a comeback on Wednesday.

Here, Stats Perform previews the final two matches of the last 16 with the help of Opta numbers.

Napoli v Eintracht Frankfurt

Dominant in Serie A, Luciano Spalletti's Napoli already appear destined to claim their first Scudetto since 1990.

Should they finish the job at home in the second leg after victory in Frankfurt, they will make another piece of history.

Indeed, if they do progress, Napoli will reach the quarter-finals of the Champions League for the first time.

Hope for Eintracht comes from the 2011-12 season, the last time Napoli won a Champions League knockout match (3-1 v Chelsea). That was followed by a 4-1 defeat at Stamford Bridge and elimination from the competition.

But Napoli are unbeaten in their last 11 Champions League home games (W8 D3), and the odds of Eintracht stopping the hosts scoring appear slim. 

Napoli have scored 22 goals in the Champions League this season – the last time an Italian side netted more in a single campaign (excluding goals in awarded victories, such as Milan in 2004-05) was in 2002-03, with Juventus scoring 30 and Inter netting 26. The form book favours Napoli turning Eintracht's already tough task into an impossible one.

Real Madrid v Liverpool

This will be Madrid's 300th match in the Champions League, at least 20 more than any other side since the 1992 rebrand, and Liverpool have a mountain to climb if they are to ruin the occasion.

Liverpool, of course, do have history of remarkable turnarounds in this competition. The Reds are one of just four sides to have progressed from a Champions League tie having lost the first leg by three or more goals, doing so against Barcelona in the 2018-19 semi-final (0-3 away, 4-0 home).

But Madrid are used to getting the job done at the Santiago Bernabeu. They have progressed from 26 of their previous 27 European Cup or Champions League knockout ties when winning the first leg away from home, with the exception being defeat to Ajax at this stage in 2018-19 (2-1 away, 1-4 at home).

If Liverpool are to deliver another second-leg performance for the ages, they will likely need to slow Vinicius Junior.

Vinicius has scored Champions League braces for Real Madrid against Liverpool at both Anfield and the Alfredo Di Stefano, Madrid's home while the Bernabeu was being renovated.

With this game taking place at the Bernabeu, he could become just the second player to score two or more goals against the same opponents in Champions League games at three different venues – after Cristiano Ronaldo against Juventus (Allianz Stadium, Bernabeu and Principality Stadium).

Having lost six of their last seven Champions League games against Madrid, Liverpool also have the issue of stopping Karim Benzema, who has scored 19 goals in his last 19 appearances in the knockout stages, while he is also the top scorer against Liverpool in European Cup and Champions League history (six).

Pep Guardiola believes he will always be a "failure" in the Champions League, but his biggest regret relates to Hollywood actress Julia Roberts.

Guardiola's Manchester City are into the quarter-finals of Europe's elite club competition for a sixth straight season following an 8-1 aggregate win over RB Leipzig that included five Erling Haaland goals in the 7-0 second-leg success.

Tuesday's performance was the kind that again establishes City as contenders, although they are yet to win the Champions League, losing in the final in 2021.

Guardiola's last European title was as Barcelona coach, coming up short with both Bayern Munich and City, yet he explained how missing out on a visit from Pretty Woman star Roberts puts this disappointment into perspective.

"I'm a failure in the Champions League, I'm sorry," he said. "I'm going to explain a secret. Whatever happens this year in the Champions League, even if we win this Champions League or win three in a row, I will be a failure.

"I have three idols in my life: Michael Jordan, Tiger Woods and Julia Roberts. These are my three idols. For obvious reasons, Michael Jordan and Tiger Woods deserve it, and Julia Roberts as well.

"Julia Roberts, years ago, came to Manchester. Not in the 1990s, when Alex Ferguson win titles, titles, titles and titles. She came in the period when we were better than United, these four or five years.

"And she went to visit Man United. She didn't come to see us. So, even if I win the Champions League, it cannot compare to the fact Julia Roberts came to Manchester and did not come to see us. My idol.

"That's why no matter what happens, even if I win the Champions League, it will not make up for the disappointment I had."

Erling Haaland's hunger proved too much for RB Leipzig in their crushing Champions League last-16 exit to Manchester City, per Marco Rose.

The Bundesliga outfit were condemned to a 7-0 defeat and an 8-1 aggregate exit as the Norway international ran rampant at the Etihad Stadium.

A five-goal haul for Haaland saw him tear through the Leipzig defence with a succession of close-range finishes, to send the hosts to the quarter-finals.

As the coach who oversaw the striker's arrival at Salzburg four years ago, Rose is well-acquainted with the attacker, and concurred his side simply didn't have the answers to stop him in the end.

"I know Erling very well," he said. "I know his qualities. When he is close to the goal, he wants to grab one. He scored five [and] we never managed to get into the game.

"He has had a great [game]. He scored goals with his foot and head, won second balls, [made] deep runs. It looked really simple. He took the ball from the referee. That tells you it was special for him." 

Leipzig had managed to hold City to a draw in the first leg, eking out a 1-1 result that gave them a potential foothold for an upset in this return fixture.

Rose acknowledged his side never got off the ground against their far superior hosts in the end, and took full responsibility for their dismal performance.

"We conceded the goals in a manner that makes this [a] very bitter [result]," he added. "City more than deserved their win.

"We were especially bad when it came to defending inside the penalty area. [That] we did so in a last-16 game in the Champions League [is appalling].

"They changed a few things in their pressing compared to the second half in Leipzig and this is something we had not expected."

Simone Inzaghi saluted Inter's unity after the Nerazzurri kept Porto at bay to secure their place in the Champions League quarter-finals.

Inter are through to the last eight of Europe's premier club competition for the first time in 12 years, after a goalless draw at Estadio do Dragao sealed a 1-0 aggregate victory over Sergio Conceicao's side.

The visitors survived a late flurry of chances as Porto struck the woodwork twice in quick succession through Mehdi Taremi and Marko Grujic, while Denzel Dumfries blocked Ivan Mercano on the line.

And Inzaghi heaped praise on his players' efforts as they held out to prevail.

"We played a great game, the group came together and played a great match," he told Mediaset. "[We were] excellent first half. In the last part of the match, we suffered all together – honour to this group.

"In football, luck counts relatively, [but] in the two legs, we deserved the passage to the quarter-finals. Now, it's right to enjoy a feat that has been missing for a long time."

Henrikh Mkhitaryan also paid tribute to his team-mates, and the midfielder believes Inter have a genuine chance of embarking on a deep run.

When asked if they could go all the way, he told Sky Sports: "You can always dream, we want to do our best. It's a good opportunity, Inter haven't reached the quarter-finals for a long time, but we have to play with our heads.

"We knew it would be very tough. I want to congratulate my team-mates because we fought until the end. I hope this qualification will give us the push for the next games."

Meanwhile, Matteo Darmian was pleased with the way the Nerazzurri responded to their surprise 2-1 defeat by lowly Spezia in Serie A on Friday.

"We entered the field with the right desire and malice," the defender added. "We came from a bad defeat; many things were said. It was the perfect evening to make up for it.

"We were able to suffer at the right times, and we brought home the result. An evening like tonight gives us so much confidence and awareness."