Gareth Bale could not hide the fact he was surprised at the Liverpool line-up for Tuesday’s Champions League game with Real Madrid.
Reds’ boss Brendan Rodgers made seven changes to the team that lost to Newcastle United last Saturday, citing this weekend’s game with Chelsea as a reason to rest his players, and Bale says he was a little taken aback.
“I was surprised at how many changes they made but they worked hard and gave a good account of themselves,” the Welshman told ITV.
“It’s always difficult coming to the Bernabeu to face us because we are always confident on our home ground, although they played well.
“They are playing some great football under Brendan Rodgers but they are obviously going through a bit of a sticky patch.
“But that sometimes happens to teams and I think they’ll come though it stronger and get back to their best.”
The 1-0 defeat courtesy of Karim Benzema’s first-half strike means the Merseysiders face an uphill task to qualify for the next round, having found themselves three points behind Basel with two games remaining.
However, Bale is confident they can still get through.
“I fully expect Liverpool to qualify. It’s a massive club and they play tough games week in, week out, so they want to be in the top competitions.
“I’m sure they’ll be up for it, ready to win both matches and fight to qualify alongside us.”
