Liverpool refuse to wave white flag towards, however don’t guess on one other well-known comeback | EUROtoday

Good night and welcome to reside protection of the Champions League quarter-final, first leg match between the champions, Paris Saint-Germain, and Liverpool at Parc des Princes. Thirteen months in the past this was the choose of the spherical of 16 ties and comprised two terrific video games, Liverpool’s 1-0 victory within the Eternal City coming by advantage of Harvey Elliott’s late purpose, a minute after approaching instead, and a virtuoso act in purpose by Alisson. Every week later Ousmane Dembélé would stage the tie at Anfield in one of many most interesting European matches this creator has ever seen earlier than PSG and Gigi Donnarumma noticed off the hosts within the shoot-out, the enormous octopus of a goalkeeper making magnificent saves from Darwin Núñez and Curtis Jones, each of which have been respectable efforts.

Liverpool would go on to win the Premier League, PSG their thirteenth Ligue 1 and maiden Champions League and though tonight’s residence aspect determined to eliminate Donnarumma which has demonstrably weakened them, the guests’s beginning XI is in far worse form a season on regardless of their large outlay, having tragically misplaced Diogo Jota and, extra prosaically, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Luis Díaz.

Their 4-0 defeat by Manchester City within the FA Cup and up to date defeats by Brighton and Wolves within the league have uncovered obvious defensive vulnerabilities. While all the main focus has been on Mohammed Salah’s waning powers, Virgil van Dijk’s have been neglected and will give Dembélé, Bradley Barcola and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia the house to run riot except Liverpool get up. And they gained’t have Alisson, lacking with an unspecified damage, to bail them out in the event that they let these three gazelles run in behind.

Wataru Endo, Conor Bradley and Giovanni Leoni are nonetheless unavailable and can be for the remainder of the season however Alexander Isak, English soccer’s most costly participant, has travelled. PSG, who lead Ligue 1 by 4 factors with a recreation in hand, are at full power other than Fabian Ruiz and younger Quentin Ndantjou.