Carlo Ancelotti’s impressive record against Liverpool revealed as Real Madrid boss looks to tap into Everton, Real Madrid and Napoli success ahead of Champions League final

Liverpool are preparing to face a familiar foe when they take on Real Madrid on Saturday evening.

The Reds travel to Paris for the Champions League final in the hope of securing their seventh success in the competition.

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Unfortunately in Carlo Ancelotti, they’ll be facing a man who knows how to get the better of them.

Ancelotti has faced Liverpool as a manager on no less than 16 occasions over the years, winning eight times in the process, while losing just five times in that run of games.

So what lessons must Jurgen Klopp’s side learn when they face the Italian this time around? talkSPORT.com takes a look at the past run-ins and how each of Ancelotti’s past clubs have fared.

Playing days: Early disappointment

Many assume that Ancelotti’s rivalry with Liverpool started when he moved into management, but his playing days were where it all began.

The ex-midfielder was a part of the Roma side who reached the 1984 European Cup final where they faced Liverpool.

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Unfortunately, Ancelotti missed the match through injury and had to watch on as the Reds won on Roma’s home turf, edging the Stadio Olimpico clash in a nerve-jangling penalty shootout.

Ancelotti’s record: Played one, lost one

AC Milan: The Miracle of Istanbul

Ancelotti’s first two matches against the Reds couldn’t have been in a higher profile setting.

His first meeting came as AC Milan boss when the two sides played out a stunning 3-3 draw in the 2005 Champions League final in Istanbul, as Rafael Benitez’s Reds incredibly fought back from 3-0 down. The final went all the way to penalties again, which would have brought back the painful memories of 1984.

However Milan did manage to get their revenge two years later in the 2007 final when Filippo Inzaghi inspired the Italian giants to a 2-1 victory in Athens.

Ancelotti’s record: Played two, won one, lost one

Chelsea: Premier League battles

After seven and a half years at the San Siro, Ancelotti was named as Chelsea boss in the summer of 2009, which was his first gig in the Premier League.

In his first season with the Blues, the Italian completed a league double over Liverpool with two 2-0 victories against Rafa Benitez’s side.

The following year Roy Hodgson succeeded Benitez and earned a 2-0 home win thanks to a Fernando Torres brace, before Kenny Dalgish guided the Reds to another win thanks to Raul Meireles. The match was also Torres’ first in a Chelsea shirt since joining them from Liverpool for £50million.

Ancelotti’s record: Played four, won two, lost two

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Real Madrid: Benzema’s Champions League delight

Ancelotti enjoyed his first spell as Real Madrid manager between 2013 and 2015 where he won the Champions League, the UEFA Super Cup, the Club World Cup and the Copa Del Rey.

The year after winning Europe’s biggest cup competition, Madrid were drawn in a Champions League group with Liverpool and completed the double over them with a 3-0 victory at Anfield being followed up by a 1-0 win at the Bernabeu.

Of the four goals, Karim Benzema scored three of them, showing that Ancelotti very much knew how to get the best from the Frenchman.

Ancelotti’s record: Played two, won two.

Napoli: Group stage gauntlet

Ancelotti spent 18 months as head coach of Napoli, taking the reins in May 2018

In that period he faced Liverpool four times after being drawn in a Champions League group with the Reds in both the 2018/19 and 2019/20 campaigns.

Facing Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool side for the first time, Ancelotti won 1-0 and lost 1-0 against Liverpool in the first season, before picking up four points against the Reds in 2019/20, shortly before being sacked despite helping Napoli into the knockout stages.

Ancelotti’s record: won two, drew one, lost one.

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Everton: Derby underdog

Appointed as Everton boss in December 2019, Ancelotti wasn’t expected to challenge a Liverpool side who were very much at the top of their game under Klopp.

Despite losing 1-0 in an FA Cup third round clash against the Reds in January 2020, Everton secured a 0-0 draw in June 2020, which denied Liverpool securing the Premier League title at Goodison Park.

That result was a sign of things to come with the Toffees earning a 2-2 draw and a 2-0 victory over the Reds to secure bragging rights for the blue half of Merseyside in 2020/21.

Ancelotti’s record: Played four, won one, drew two, lost one.

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