Liverpool vs. Paris Saint-Germain | Champions League | Round of 16 | 2nd Leg | Pre Match
Liverpool vs. Paris Saint-Germain
Surely still counting their lucky Parisian stars, Liverpool will play host to Ligue 1 champions Paris Saint-Germain in the second leg of their Champions League last-16 contest at Anfield on Tuesday evening. The Reds, under the stewardship of Arne Slot, emerged from the French capital last week with a scarcely believable 1-0 victory, a result that defied the run of play and showcased both their resilience and their knack for seizing critical moments. That first-leg triumph at the Parc des Princes was a tale of two heroes: goalkeeper Alisson Becker, whose nine saves formed an impenetrable wall, and substitute Harvey Elliott, whose 87th-minute strike off the bench snatched the win from a PSG side that had squandered 27 shots without finding the net. Despite being outplayed for long stretches, Liverpool head into this second leg as favorites to secure victory within 90 minutes on home soil, with bookmakers offering odds of around 5/4 at the time of writing. The Anfield faithful will expect nothing less, given their team’s historical success in such scenarios—Liverpool have advanced from their last 14 Champions League ties when winning the first leg, a run stretching back over two decades. The only exception came in the 2001-02 season against Bayer Leverkusen, but PSG’s profligacy last week suggests they may struggle to emulate that rare feat. For Slot’s men, this match is an opportunity to build on their recent momentum—four wins on the spin across all competitions—and solidify their status as genuine contenders in Europe’s premier club competition.
Arne Slot's men somehow left the French capital with a 1-0 win on their record from last week's first leg, where a super sub and a super goalkeeper were their heroes of the hour. The Parc des Princes clash was a statistical anomaly, with PSG dominating possession and peppering Liverpool’s goal, only to be thwarted by Alisson’s brilliance and their own lack of precision. Khvicha Kvaratskhelia thought he had broken the deadlock for the hosts, but his effort was ruled out for offside, leaving Luis Enrique’s side with zero goals from their barrage of attempts. Liverpool, by contrast, mustered just two shots, one of which proved decisive as Elliott capitalized on PSG’s wastefulness with a late, clinical finish. This victory marked only the second time in Champions League history that a team won a knockout match despite a shot differential of -25 or worse, underscoring the Reds’ ability to defy the odds. Alisson’s nine saves were a career highlight, a performance he later described as potentially his best ever, and it handed Liverpool a slender but significant advantage heading into the return leg. At Anfield, where the atmosphere often acts as a 12th man, the Reds will fancy their chances of finishing the job. Their recent form backs this confidence: a 3-1 comeback win over Southampton on Saturday, driven by Darwin Nunez’s equalizer and Mohamed Salah’s match-winning brace, extended their winning streak and showcased their ability to turn games around. Salah’s penalties in that match elevated him to third on Liverpool’s all-time scoring list and tied him with Thierry Henry for the most goal involvements in a 38-game Premier League season, a testament to his enduring excellence.
Liverpool might have been outplayed last Wednesday, but they come into the second leg as favourites to win in 90 minutes at home, with odds of around 5/4 available at most bookies at the time of writing. However, the Southampton game exposed vulnerabilities that PSG could exploit, particularly in the first half when Will Smallbone pounced on a defensive error to give the Premier League’s bottom side a shock lead. Slot’s triple substitution at halftime—removing Dominik Szoboszlai, among others—sparked a second-half revival, but the manager admitted post-match that starting the fatigued Hungarian may have been an error. Szoboszlai’s physical limits could open the door for Elliott, the first-leg hero, to step into the No. 10 role on Tuesday, offering fresh legs and creativity. Liverpool’s squad is otherwise in good shape, with no new injuries from the weekend and Cody Gakpo confirmed fit after recovering from a knock. Tyler Morton (shoulder), Joe Gomez (hamstring), and Conor Bradley (hamstring) remain sidelined, but the core of Slot’s lineup—Alisson, Virgil van Dijk, Trent Alexander-Arnold, and the attacking trio of Salah, Nunez, and Gakpo—should be enough to see them through. PSG, meanwhile, will look to their own attacking stars to reverse the tie. Their 4-1 thrashing of Rennes on Saturday, with goals from Bradley Barcola, Goncalo Ramos, and a rampant Ousmane Dembele (who netted twice in stoppage time), signaled a return to form after their first-leg frustration. That win stretched PSG’s away winning streak to 13 matches across all competitions, including three in the Champions League against Brest, Stuttgart, and Red Bull Salzburg, though none of those opponents match Liverpool’s pedigree.
Try as they might for the full 90 minutes, an increasingly desperate PSG remarkably failed to breach the goal of an inspired Alisson Becker—barring an offside Khvicha Kvaratskhelia effort—as the long-serving Liverpool number one made a masterful nine saves at the Parc des Princes. For PSG, the first-leg defeat was a familiar tale of Champions League heartbreak, a competition that remains their white whale despite years of lavish investment. Enrique’s side has a blueprint for redemption, however: last season’s quarter-final turnaround against Barcelona, where a 3-2 home loss was followed by a 4-1 away triumph. That memory will fuel their belief as they travel to Merseyside, but they’ll need to overcome a dismal record for French teams in England—none of the last 15 have won on English soil in Europe, though PSG’s 2-0 victory over Manchester United in December 2020 offers a glimmer of hope. Enrique has the luxury of a fully fit squad, allowing him to rest key players like Dembele, Kvaratskhelia, Vitinha, Fabian Ruiz, Achraf Hakimi, Marquinhos, Nuno Mendes, and Gianluigi Donnarumma against Rennes while still securing a convincing win. Those stars will return at Anfield, with Dembele—fresh off his 19th and 20th Ligue 1 goals of the season—leading the line in place of Ramos. Teenage prodigy Warren Zaire-Emery, who captained PSG from right-back against Rennes, will likely revert to a substitute role, but his versatility highlights the depth at Enrique’s disposal. PSG’s attacking firepower is undeniable, but breaching Alisson’s goal again will require a level of ruthlessness they lacked in Paris.
While Luis Enrique's side registered a total of zero goals from 27 shots, Liverpool headed home with the critical strike from just one of their two efforts on the evening, as Harvey Elliott punished PSG's wastefulness with a dramatic 87th-minute winner off the bench. That moment epitomized Liverpool’s efficiency under Slot, a manager who has instilled a pragmatic streak in a team known for its attacking flair. The Anfield crowd will play a pivotal role, as it has in countless European nights, amplifying the pressure on a PSG side that has crumbled in big moments before. The Reds’ 14-for-14 record of progressing after winning the first leg looms large, and their ability to rally—as seen against Southampton—suggests they can weather any storm PSG might muster. For the visitors, the task is clear: score at least once to force extra time, or twice to win outright, against a goalkeeper in Alisson who is playing at the peak of his powers. PSG’s recent away form and Enrique’s tactical acumen give them a fighting chance, but Liverpool’s home advantage, historical precedent, and Salah’s unstoppable form tilt the scales. This clash promises drama, with PSG’s desperation clashing against Liverpool’s resolve, but unless Alisson falters, the Reds should book their quarter-final spot.
