Jurgen Klopp & Mohamed Salah hit big milestones as Liverpool chase club record

November 3, 2021
Jack Lusby

Jurgen Klopp and Mohamed Salah will both hit major Champions League milestones tonight, as Liverpool look to equal a club record with victory over Atletico Madrid.

Klopp will take charge of Liverpool for the 50th time in the Champions League.

He has won 30 of the previous 49, losing just 11.

He will become just the second Reds manager to take charge of club on 50 occasions in Europe’s premier club competition – a number only bettered by Rafa Benitez (76 times).

Salah’s next European appearance will also be his 50th for the Reds, becoming the 24th player to achieve the milestone for the club.

He could become the first Liverpool player in history to score twice in three successive Liverpool European games.

Perfect start

Liverpool could win their opening four games of a Champions League group for the first time ever.

Last season they took maximum points from the opening three before losing at home to Atalanta.

They have nine points from their opening three games – their biggest-ever points haul in a group is the 14 they amassed in 2008/09 when Atletico Madrid were in the same group.

Liverpool are one of only four teams with a 100 percent record in their group – the others being Ajax, Juventus and Bayern Munich.

Only Bayern, with 12, have scored more goals so far than Liverpool who along with Ajax have 11.

Liverpool vs. Spain

This is the seventh successive season that Liverpool have faced Spanish opponents and for the third consecutive campaign, a team from Madrid.

They have faced clubs from Spain on 47 occasions, winning 17, drawing 13 and losing 17.

At Anfield against teams from Spain, Liverpool have won seven of their 21 home matches, with all six of their losses coming in the last 16 encounters.

The Reds have never defeated a Spanish team home and away in the group stage of a European competition – the last from Spain they beat twice in a single European campaign was Real Madrid in the knockout phase in 2009.

Mane’s next goal

Sadio Mane’s next goal will see him move into outright third place on the club’s all-time European goalscorers list with 23 goals.

He has 22, alongside Michael Owen.

Equalling a club record

Liverpool are unbeaten in their last 24 games in all competitions, winning 17 and drawing seven.

Should they avoid defeat they will equal club record as a Football League club of 25, set between March and September 1982 under Bob Paisley.

They did go 30 unbeaten from February 1893 to February 1894, a sequence that included seven Lancashire League games.

Salah chasing greats

Salah has now scored 31 goals for Liverpool in this competition (including the qualifying rounds). Steven Gerrard holds the European club record for the club with 41.

Players with most goals for an English club in the Champions League from group stage onwards: Didier Drogba (Chelsea) 36, Sergio Aguero (Man City) 36, Ruud van Nistelrooy (Man United) 35, Thierry Henry (Arsenal) 35.

Salah has 30 for Liverpool.

Unique Atletico

Atletico are the only European history to defeat Liverpool in a game after being two goals down – in the round of 16 in this competition two seasons ago.

They have scored in all seven previous meetings, with the Reds scoring once in each of the first five and a total of five times in the last two encounters.

Their defeat at home to Liverpool last month was their heaviest home defeat in Europe at the hands of an English club.

A rarity

Liverpool are one of only two teams to defeat Atletico this season – Alaves last September being the other.

The loss at Alaves is Atletico’s only away defeat of this campaign and they have won four and drawn one of the other five on the road in all competitions.