Striker has terrible record against Los Blancos

Liverpool will rely upon the firing power of their delicate-hamstringed Spaniard when they visit the Bernebeu tonight, but the Spanish press has been making a huge deal over his “Real Madrid curse”.

Despite playing in nine Madrid derbies, Nando has never played in a side that has defeated Real Madrid. He has suffered five defeats and four draws against Los Blancos, and his only goal at the Bernebeu came during a friendly in 2002.

To make matters worse, Madrid’s scary-looking defender Pepe has made no secret of his desire to knock the Liverpool striker about a bit:

“We are both strong but I have a big advantage in that he’s got to play with the ball and I don’t. The bigger, stronger and better my opponent the more I like the clash.

“Football’s a contact sport and strikers often give defenders like me a right good kicking off the ball and nobody says anything because we centre-halves are tough. But as long as I go for the ball and not the man, then there’s nothing better than using all the time I’ve spent in the gym to crash into bodies.”