Paris (AFP)

Beaten 3-1 in the first leg, Liverpool did not surrender before receiving Real Madrid at Anfield, Wednesday in the quarter-finals second leg of the Champions League, no more than Borussia Dortmund of Erling Haaland who will try to overcome their narrow 2-1 loss to Manchester City.

If the "White House" of Zinédine Zidane and the Citizens of Pep Guardiola have a foot in the last four, the games are not completely done.

The Reds and the BVB are armed to turn the tide and join the semi-finals, the first round of which is scheduled for the end of April.

- Anfield, curse broken?

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Liverpool FC, with a history of epic twists and turns, can count on their entire offensive armada to catch up, from Sadio Mané to Roberto Firmino, including Diogo Jota and Mohamed Salah.

The Egyptian kept the flame of hope alive in Madrid by scoring the only goal for the English.

A 2-0 return win, for example, would be enough to qualify.

On Saturday in the Premier League, the former Roma striker scored again, this time against Aston Villa, allowing the Reds to break the curse of Anfield, where they had yet to win in 2021.

Weaned from their loyal supporters because of the Covid-19, Jürgen Klopp's men will have to face history: in the Champions League, Liverpool has never managed to beat Real, their executioner in the final of the 2018 edition, since March 2009 and an 8th final won 4-0.

Opposite, the Madrilenians arrive pumped up after their 2-1 success in the clasico on Saturday against Barça, synonymous with second place in La Liga just one unit from Atlético.

Still a scorer this weekend, Karim Benzema will be the main threat on the Real side, C1 monster crowned thirteen times (a record) but still deprived of Sergio Ramos, Raphaël Varane and Eden Hazard.

- Haaland, anomaly to correct -

Manchester City has neither the history nor the record of the Madrilenians, but the English club has the same ambition before the return leg Wednesday in Dortmund, where he travels with a short advantage (2-1 in the first leg).

The wealthy Citizens have certainly participated in all editions since 2011-2012, but they only reached the semi-finals once, in 2016, a curiosity that they intend to repair in Germany.

They will nevertheless have to contain the great prodigy Erling Haaland, top scorer in the current edition with a gigantic total of 10 goals in 7 games.

The 20-year-old Norwegian also has an anomaly to correct: so far, he has scored against every opponent he has encountered in C1.

On the first leg, against the former club of his father Alf-Inge, the striker did not shake the nets but he nevertheless greatly participated in the goal of hope by delivering an assist to his captain Marco Reus.

City had not let their guard down in the Champions League for 790 minutes.

The winner of the double confrontation will play his semi-final first leg on April 27 or 28 then the return on May 4 or 5, more than three weeks before the final scheduled for May 29 in Istanbul.

Schedule for the quarter-finals second leg of the Champions League played on Wednesday:

(9:00 p.m. / 7:00 p.m. GMT) Liverpool (ENG) - Real Madrid (ESP)

Dortmund (GER) - Manchester City (ENG)

© 2021 AFP