Two of European football's most recognisable names and most successful clubs go head to head in a mouth-watering Champions League quarter-final first leg on Tuesday night as Real Madrid welcome Liverpool to the Estadio Alfredo Di Stefano.

The two clubs have lifted Europe's biggest club prize a whopping 19 times between them, and a place in the semi-finals of the competition is on the line this time around.

Both have storied Champions League histories which have occasionally intertwined, and here Sports Mole looks back at all six previous meetings between the two giants.

Real Madrid 0-1 Liverpool (May 27, 1981)

For two clubs so steeped in European football history, it is fitting that their first ever meeting came in the European Cup final 40 years ago.

Real Madrid's early dominance of the competition had faded by this stage, whereas Liverpool were the new force on the continent, having already lifted the trophy in 1977 and 1978 ahead of this showdown in Paris.

Bob Paisley's side made it three triumphs in the space of five years at the expense of Los Blancos, with their winner coming from the unlikely source of Alan Kennedy.

The full-back stormed into the box from the left channel before smashing his finish past the keeper from a tight angle with just nine minutes remaining.

Remarkably Kennedy - by no means a regular goal threat from defence - also scored the decisive penalty in the shootout three years later to secure another European Cup for the Reds, firmly securing his place in Liverpool folklore forever.

LINEUPS

Real Madrid: Agustin; Garcia Cortes (Pineda 87'), Garcia Navajas, Sabido, Camacho; Del Bosque, Angel, Stielike; Juanito, Santillana, Cunningham

Liverpool: Clemence; Neal, Thompson, Hansen, A Kennedy; Lee, McDermott, Souness, R Kennedy; Dalglish (Case 85'), Johnson

Real Madrid 0-1 Liverpool (February 25, 2009)

Some 28 years after their first meeting, Real Madrid and Liverpool were drawn together in the first knockout round of the 2008-09 Champions League.

Liverpool faced a trip to the Bernabeu for the first leg, and manager Rafael Benitez's team selection raised eyebrows when talismanic skipper Steven Gerrard was left on the bench.

The Spaniard, who would go on to manage Real Madrid in the future, was proved right, though, as Yossi Benayoun's 82nd-minute strike proved to be the only goal of the game.

Liverpool therefore reached the halfway stage of the last-16 tie in control and with an away goal under their belts too, although they would not need that in the return fixture at Anfield.

LINEUPS

Real Madrid: Casillas; Ramos, Cannavaro, Pepe, Heinze; Robben, Diarra, Gago, Marcelo (Guti 46'); Raul, Higuain

Liverpool: Reina; Arbeloa, Skrtel, Carragher, Aurelio; Alonso, Mascherano; Benayoun, Kuyt (Lucas 92'), Riera (Gerrard 88'); Torres (Babel 62')

Liverpool 4-0 Real Madrid (March 10, 2009)

Liverpool's biggest win against Madrid, and one of the most memorable European nights at Anfield, saw Benitez's side emphatically book their place in the quarter-finals with a statement-making 4-0 win on Merseyside.

Fernando Torres, one of Atletico Madrid's favourite sons, wreaked havoc throughout and opened the scoring after just 16 minutes before Gerrard - back in the starting lineup - took the game away from Los Blancos.

The Liverpool skipper first tucked away a dubious penalty before thumping a half-volley from Ryan Babel's cross into the back of the net to make it 3-0 in the early stages of the first half.

With the tie long since won, the unlikely figure of Andrea Dossena capped off the scoring late on to wrap up a stunning 5-0 aggregate triumph for Liverpool.

LINEUPS

Liverpool: Reina; Arbeloa, Skrtel, Carragher, Aurelio; Alonso (Lucas 60'), Mascherano; Kuyt, Gerrard (Spearing 73'), Babel; Torres (Dossena 84')

Real Madrid: Casillas; Ramos, Cannavaro (Van der Vaart 64'), Pepe, Heinze; Robben (Marcelo 46'), Diarra, Gago (Guti 77'), Sneijder; Raul, Higuain

Liverpool 0-3 Real Madrid (October 22, 2014)

Real Madrid's long-awaited first win over Liverpool came in style at Anfield after the two European giants had been drawn together in the group stages for the first time.

The Reds had suffered an alarming dip since the last meeting between the two sides, and were even a shadow of the team that came agonisingly close to winning the Premier League title the previous season following the departure of Luis Suarez.

Madrid utterly outclassed their hosts in a dominant first-half display which saw them go into the break three goals ahead, including a brilliant opener from former Manchester United man Cristiano Ronaldo.

Karim Benzema then helped himself to two goals - a looping header and a poacher's finish from close range - as Madrid cruised to a comfortable win on Merseyside.

LINEUPS

Liverpool: Mignolet; Johnson, Skrtel, Lovren, Moreno; Henderson (Can 67'), Allen, Gerrard; Coutinho (Markovic 67'), Balotelli (Lallana 46'), Sterling

Real Madrid: Casillas; Arbeloa, Pepe, Varane, Marcelo (Nacho 85'); Kroos (Illarramendi 82'), Modric, Rodriguez; Isco, Benzema, Ronaldo (Khedira 75')

Real Madrid 1-0 Liverpool (November 4, 2014)

The reverse fixture in the group stage was not quite as chastening for Liverpool, but they were still second-best at the Bernabeu on their way to another defeat.

Benzema - the leading scorer in this fixture with four goals - netted the only goal of the game after 27 minutes as he turned home a low cross from Marcelo.

Liverpool were much-changed as manager Brendan Rodgers left Gerrard, Raheem Sterling and Philippe Coutinho on the bench, although they arguably put up a better fight than the first game between the two sides.

Nonetheless, the Reds were knocked out in the group stage that season and would not reappear in the Champions League until 2017-18, when Madrid would await them once again.

LINEUPS

Real Madrid: Casillas; Arbeloa (Nacho 83'), Ramos, Varane, Marcelo; Kroos, Modric, Rodriguez (Bale 62'); Isco, Benzema (Hernandez 87'), Ronaldo

Liverpool: Mignolet; Manquillo, Skrtel, Toure, Moreno; Can (Coutinho 75'), Lucas (Gerrard 69'), Allen; Markovic (Sterling 69'), Borini, Lallana

Liverpool 1-3 Real Madrid (May 26, 2018)

The most recent clash between these two sides came in the final three years ago - a night Liverpool fans will be desperate to forget and one Real Madrid supporters will remember forever.

Loris Karius in particular will be keen to banish the memories from that night in Kiev, making two of the biggest howlers in Champions League final history to gift Real Madrid the match.

Liverpool's star man Mohamed Salah had already been forced off in tears after being injured by Sergio Ramos before Karius's first error, as his attempted roll out was blocked by Benzema and trickled into the empty net.

Sadio Mane then equalised for the English outfit before Gareth Bale pulled off a moment of magic to restore Real's lead - an incredible bicycle kick which will go down as one of the greatest Champions League final goals of all time.

While Karius could do nothing about that one, his second major mistake of the night took the game away from Liverpool as he palmed another long-range Bale effort into his own net.

Liverpool: Karius; Alexander-Arnold, Lovren, Van Dijk, Robertson; Milner (Can 83'), Henderson, Wijnaldum; Salah (Lallana 31'), Firmino, Mane

Real Madrid: Navas; Carvajal (Nacho 37'), Varane, Ramos, Marcelo; Modric, Casemiro, Kroos; Isco (Bale 61'); Benzema (Asensio 89'), Ronaldo