ILIVERPOOL izoba nelinye ithuba lokuziphindiselela kwiReal Madrid njengoba la maqembu ezophinde atholane phezulu kwiLast 16 ye-Uefa Champions League.
La maqembu womabili asephenduke inkukhu nempaka eminyakeni edlule ngemuva kokuhlangana kowamanqamu kuwona lo mqhudelwano eKyiv ngo-2019, lapho kwanqoba khona iqembu laseSpain ngo 3-1.
Okukhumbuleka kakhulu ngalowo mdlalo yindlela umgadli weLiverpool, uMohammed Salah, awiswa ngayo nguSergio Ramos, owayedlalela iMadrid ngaleso sikhathi, wakhishwa ngesiwombe sokuqala ngenxa yokulimala ehlombe.
Ngenxa yalokhu lo mdlali wase-Egypt walibeka ngembaba elokuthi ufuna ukuziphindiselela ngaphambi kokuthi la maqembu ahlangane kowamanqamu kulo nyaka. Nokho akuyanga ngokwamagama enkehli njengoba iMadrid yaphinde yayithatha indebe, inqoba ngo 1-0.
Imilenze yokuqala ye-Last 16 izodlalwa ngoFebhuwari bese kuthi eyesibili idlalwe ngoMashi.
Ekhuluma neSky Sports ngemuva kokuqhathwa kwamaqembu, uStephen Warnock owayeyibamba emuva kwiLiverpool uthe iqembu likaJurgen Klopp linesikhathi esanele sokuthola ifomu ngaphambi kokudlala le midlalo emikhulu.
"Kuzoba nzima kwiLiverpool, ikakhulukazi njengoba kufanele idlale ekhaya kuqala bese idlala umlenze wesibili ekuhambeni. Ukuba le midlalo ibizodlalwa manje abezoba mancane amathuba okuthi iLiverpool idlulele kuma-quarterfinal," usho kanje.
"Njengoba kuzodlalwa ngoFebhuwari banesikhathi sokulungisa okwenzeka eqenjini njengamanje. Bangase bazame nokusayinisa abadlali abathile ngoJanuwari."
Omunye umdlalo ozobe ubhekwe ngabomvu ozoba phakathi kweParis Saint-Germain neBayern Munich. La maqembu ahlangana kowamanqamu ngo-2020 kwanqoba iBayern ngo 1-0.
Kwi-Europa League, iManchester United izobhekana neBarcelona emidlalweni yayo yeLast 16 nayo ezokuba ngonyaka ozayo ngoFebhuwari. IBarca yehlele kulo mqhudelwano ngemuva kokuqeda isithathu eqoqweni layo kwiChampions League.
"Kufanele silwe njengoba kufanele siye eManchester ukuyobhekana neqembu eliphambili elinomlando omuhle futhi elithuthuke kakhulu selokhu kwafika umqeqeshi u-Erik ten Hag," kusho umqeqeshi weBarcelona u-Xavi ekhasini leqembu lakhe kwiTwitter.
"Sizoba nesikhathi sokubahlaziya, bayiqembu eliqinile emuva naphambili. Angisho uCristiano Ronaldo yedwa kodwa nabanye abadlali. IManchester United iyiqembu elikhulu futhi nayo izobe ihlose ukunqoba."
Imidlalo yeLast 16 yeChampions League: Liverpool v Real Madrid, RB Leipzig v Manchester City, Club Brugge v Benfica, AC Milan v Tottenham Hotspur, Eintracht Frankfurt v Napoli, Borussia Dortmund v Chelsea, Inter Milan v Porto, Paris Saint-Germain v Bayern Munich
Imidlalo yeLast 16 ye-Europa League: Barcelona vs Manchester United, Juventus vs Nantes, Sporting Lisbon vs FC Midtjylland, Shakhtar Donetsk vs Rennes, Ajax vs Union Berlin, Bayer Leverkusen vs Monaco, Sevilla vs PSV Eindhoven, RB Salzburg vs Roma