Champions LeagueThe lowdown on familiar foe Real Madrid

The Reds were pitted against the Spanish side for the next phase of the tournament during Monday's draw, with the two-legged tie to take place in February and March.

Read on for an in-depth look at Real…

How they got to the last 16

The La Liga outfit gathered 13 points in this year's group stage to finish as winners of Group F.

They faced RB Leipzig – who were runners-up – Shakhtar Donetsk and Celtic to progress into the next round.

Real earned four victories, one draw and lost just once in their section to secure passage into the knockout phase.

History repeating

Liverpool and Real have become increasingly familiar foes in recent seasons.

Overall, there have been nine competitive meetings between the two clubs – beginning with the 1981 European Cup final, when the Reds triumphed 1-0 at Parc des Princes in Paris.

They had to wait 28 years to meet again in the rebranded Champions League, with Liverpool claiming an emphatic 5-0 aggregate victory in the first knockout round of the competition.

Real, however, turned the tables in the 2014 group stage as they claimed wins both home and away.

It is, though, the frequency of their recent encounters that has heightened their head-to-head European rivalry.

Jürgen Klopp's charges met Zinedine Zidane's men in the showpiece of the 2017-18 campaign in Kyiv. Real ran out 3-1 winners on the night courtesy of a Karim Benzema strike and Gareth Bale brace, while Sadio Mane got on the scoresheet in consolation.

The two teams again came together in the quarter-finals of the 2020-21 tournament, with the Reds falling to a 3-1 aggregate defeat.

Last season – in a repeat of 2018 – Liverpool reached a third Champions League final in five seasons and met Real.

The final at Stade de France again swung the way of the Spanish outfit, by a single goal as Vinicius Junior scored to condemn Klopp's men to runners-up.

Two European giants

Liverpool have six European Cup triumphs to their name, while Real boast an unrivalled 14 in their trophy cabinet.

AC Milan (seven) are the only other team with more victories in the competition than Liverpool (Bayern Munich are tied on six), with Real sitting clear at the top of the pile.

2022-23 so far

Real, still coached by Carlo Ancelotti, sit five points behind fierce rivals Barcelona at the top of the La Liga standings having played one match fewer.

Defeat by Rayo Vallecano on Monday night saw Los Blancos sustain a first league loss of the season.

Vinicius Junior (10) tops the club's goalscoring charts ahead of Federico Valverde (eight), while the former and Rodrygo lead the way for assists with five apiece so far this term.

Karim Benzema, meanwhile, recently received the Ballon d'Or award for his performance in the 2021-22 campaign.

What's been said

Jürgen Klopp, speaking to Liverpoolfc.com

"The first thing that we can say about this draw is it is proper Champions League. This is a tie that speaks for itself and one that we should all be excited about.

"I know we have played Real Madrid in a couple of recent finals but it is not so often that our two clubs have met in a two-legged tie so now we can look forward to this happening.

"Real's European record is the best around. We know this. But we also know that ours is not too bad. On top of this, we know that we have Anfield and everyone knows what this means.

"It is a really good draw. A really exciting draw. The games themselves are still a few months away but it does not take a great deal of imagination to think what the atmosphere will be like at both games.

"There is a lot of football to be played before this, of course, so we will focus on each game as it comes but yes, this draw has given us something special to look forward to."