Undoubtedly, the pick of the second round of the Champions League was the pairing of Liverpool and Real Madrid. Respectively, they are the most successful club teams from the two best leagues in Europe, the English Premier League and La Liga, and both are the envy of their competitors when it comes to their European record.
What is perhaps most surprising is that this is their first competitive meeting since the European Cup Final in Paris in 1981, where Liverpool won its third European Cup thanks to an Alan Kennedy goal.
There have been links between the two clubs in the intervening period. Steve McManaman made a Bosman switch to Real Madrid from Liverpool in 1997, Liverpool was invited to take part in Real Madrid's centenary tournament in 2002, and Michael Owen made his controversial switch to the Bernabeu in 2004.
But perhaps most will be made of the links to Rafa Benitez. Benitez is a self-confessed 'Madridista' and just this week suggested that he would want to end his career at Real Madrid. But he will undoubtedly be desperate to get one over on his old club, to prove that his success with Valencia against the might of Los Merengues was no fluke.
