The Champions League round of 16 kicks off this week, with in-form Paris Saint-Germain ready to welcome group stage winners Liverpool to the Parc des Princes in a proper blockbuster clash on Wednesday evening.
The Parisians are flying high following their comprehensive Ligue 1 triumph against LOSC Lille, while Liverpool travel to the French capital on the back of a difficult stretch which resulted in Arne Slot’s team strengthening their grip on the Premier League top spot, its last challenge being the victory over Newcastle last week.
Paris Saint-Germain
Despite boasting a star-studded trio of Kylian Mbappe, Lionel Messi, and Neymar until recently, PSG’s long-awaited European triumph remains out of reach. Since then, the club’s hierarchy has shifted its focus from signing global superstars to developing emerging talents under Luis Enrique’s leadership.
Les Parisiens faced the real possibility of an early Champions League exit, but a crucial three-game winning streak, including a dramatic 4-2 comeback victory over Manchester City, kept their campaign alive and set up a play-off tie against familiar domestic foes.
PSG showed no mercy to European debutants Brest, following up a 3-0 first-leg win with a ruthless 7-0 demolition, extending their Champions League winning run to five matches, just one short of their best-ever streak in the competition from the 1994/95 season.
A tougher test now awaits Enrique’s men, but their preparations have been near perfect. A dominant 4-1 Ligue 1 victory over Lille marked their 10th consecutive win in all competitions, reinforcing their imperious form.
Indeed, PSG have won 19 of their last 20 matches, the only blemish being a 1-1 home draw with Reims in late January. Predictably, they are cruising toward another Ligue 1 title, sitting 13 points clear at the top.
However, domestic dominance has long been expected, while European glory remains elusive. The last-16 stage has frequently proven to be PSG’s downfall, with the club suffering elimination at this point in five of the last eight seasons.
Team News
After emerging unscathed from their emphatic win over Lille, PSG have the luxury of a fully fit squad for Wednesday’s first leg, giving Luis Enrique enviable selection dilemmas across the pitch.
Several changes from the victory over Les Dogues are expected, with Vitinha, Willian Pacho, and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia – who was linked with a January move to Liverpool – likely to return to the starting lineup.
Meanwhile, captain Marquinhos is poised for a great moment in his illustrious career, as he could make his 100th Champions League start. This would make him the first player to achieve the feat solely with a French club and just the fourth Brazilian to do so, following Roberto Carlos, Dani Alves, and his former partner in the PSG back line Thiago Silva.
Liverpool
PSG could take inspiration from Liverpool’s blueprint for European success, as the Reds navigated the league phase with ease, aside from an inconsequential 3-2 defeat to PSV Eindhoven on matchday eight. Before that, Arne Slot’s side had won all seven of their Champions League games, finishing atop the overall standings while maintaining their pursuit of a domestic and continental treble.
Like PSG, Liverpool also enjoy a 13-point lead at the summit of their domestic league, following successive 2-0 wins over Manchester City and Newcastle. Their campaign for silverware continues with a Carabao Cup final against Newcastle on March 16, where they will defending the trophy they won last season.
Despite heading into Wednesday’s clash on a three-game losing streak in Champions League knockout ties, each of those defeats came at the hands of Real Madrid, one of their league-phase victims this season. Furthermore, Liverpool remain the only unbeaten side away from home in the Premier League.
However, their overall away form is less convincing, with just three wins from their last nine road fixtures across all competitions. Their European record in France is also concerning, as they have failed to win any of their last five away matches against French opposition since beating Marseille in September 2008.
That run includes a 2-1 loss to PSG in their most recent meeting in November 2018, though Jurgen Klopp’s men had triumphed 3-2 at Anfield earlier that season. The winner of this heavyweight showdown will face either Aston Villa or Club Brugge in the quarterfinals.
Team News
Liverpool do have a few players who won’t be making a contribution in Paris, though the likes of Joe Gomez, Conor Bradley (both hamstring), Tyler Morton (shoulder) and teenager Amara Nallo (suspended), would’ve been certainly left out of the starting XI even were they 100% fit.
The man PSG will want to pay close attention to is, of course, Mohamed Salah. The Egyptian winger is not only on red-hot form this season, but he is already the African player with most goal contributions in the history of the Champions League with 20 goals and assists combined from 30 matches – both Didier Drogba and Samuel Eto’o stopped at 19.
Conclusion
Year after year, PSG continue to dominate the game in France, but even though they managed to tear Premier League champions Manchester City apart in the group stage, they’ll be facing a different sort of beast on Wednesday. Liverpool have shown great balance between attacking flair and defensive solidity, particularly in their last two games.
The outcome of the match is very difficult imagine before it is over, and all that can be expected is a contest between teams of great individual quality and managers of vast knowledge of the game.
Verdict: Draw
Best odds: 14/5
Bookmaker: 888sport
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