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Defender Virgil van Dijk admits Liverpool face an “almost impossible” job to save their Champions League hopes against Real Madrid in the Bernabeu.
A 2-0 lead was turned into a 5-2 defeat – their heaviest at home in Europe – in a 46-minute spell during the last-16 first leg clash as Jurgen Klopp’s side collapsed in the second half against the holders and 14-time winners.
Their 2005 comeback against AC Milan in the Istanbul final aside, Liverpool’s greatest European heroics have always come at Anfield, but the ease with which they were carved open in front of their own fans makes the chances of a comeback in Madrid remote at best.
“We have almost an impossible job in Madrid in three weeks’ time, but when the time is right, we’ll focus and we’ll give everything to represent the club as good as we can,” said the Netherlands captain.
“The only thing we can do is watch it, learn from it and make sure it doesn’t happen in the next game we play, which is Crystal Palace.
“It sounds pretty easy but it isn’t – that’s the hard reality.
“If you look back in the last two games, we played well (beating Everton and Newcastle) and that’s something we should focus on as well and don’t be in panic.
“Obviously we are all disappointed we lost, that is how we should be, but the way we lost, almost not giving ourselves a chance in Madrid, is tough.”
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