Zinedine Zidane has vowed to ‘eliminate’ Liverpool if they draw Real Madrid in the Champions League’s knock-out stages.
Both sides last faced off in the 2018 final of Europe’s elite club competition with Real triumphing in Kiev largely thanks to a series of blunders by Loris Karius.
The Reds could be paired with their Spanish counterparts again at Monday’s draw for the tournament’s last 16 after being seeded as winners of Group E.
And Zidane, who ended his first Real tenure just five days after their win over Jurgen Klopp’s side, has fired a warning to the reigning European champions.
He said: “If we play Liverpool, we will eliminate them.
“We can’t do anything about the draw.”
Real booked their place in the last 16 as Group A runners-up and rounded off their campaign with a 3-1 win over Club Brugge on Wednesday evening.
Liverpool, meanwhile, clinched top spot in Group E courtesy of second-half goals by Naby Keita and Mohamed Salah in their 2-0 victory over Red Bull Salzburg.