Roma and Barcelona are proof that Trent Alexander-Arnold is right about Liverpool

Anyone expecting Liverpool to proceed serenely towards another Champions League final this evening clearly hasn’t been paying attention.

Forget the Reds have taken a firm grip of their European destiny by beating Villarreal 2-0 at Anfield last week in their semi-final first leg. Ignore, too, that Jurgen Klopp’s side have lost only three times in their last 65 games and are chasing an unprecedented quadruple against a team, while Europa League holders, are floundering in mid-table in La Liga.

Recent history suggests Liverpool will have to dig deep here in Spain having been made to suffer in contrasting fashions before sealing their place in two of the last four Champions League showpieces.

The Reds showed what was possible in 2019 when coming back from 3-0 down in the first leg to oust Barcelona, having the previous year just about avoided a similar nightmare themselves despite heading to Roma with a 5-2 advantage. Indeed, Liverpool haven’t won any of their last five semi-final away legs in the competition, losing the last four while conceding 11 goals.

That the Reds won through on all bar one occasion – and have overall progressed from nine out of 11 such ties – underlines there is no reason for fear. Trent Alexander-Arnold, though, acknowledges Klopp’s men would be wise to learn from the nerve-jangling experiences of the recent past.

“Looking back on the two previous semis, we made it quite difficult for ourselves, especially in the second legs where we had to dig deep and see the game out,” he says. “Hopefully this time we can do it a little easier.

“But you don’t take these things for granted. With four teams left in it, the four are always up there with the best teams in the world. That’s what we face. Going away