UEFA Champions League: Round of 16
Venue: Anfield
Time: 2300
What you need to know
Liverpool will still be counting their lucky stars that they possess a 1-0 lead after the first leg of their UEFA Champions League (UCL) last 16 tie with PSG, which was courtesy of their only shot on target after their goal was under severe pressure all game.
Another 90 minutes or more still separates either of these teams from the quarter-finals, but Liverpool look good value to advance having progressed from all 37 previous European ties in which they won the first leg away from home.
The Reds experienced another scare at the weekend, when they trailed the Premier League’s bottom club Southampton at half-time but eventually ran out 3-1 winners.
The Kop will be expecting Arne Slot to mastermind another victorious performance here, since the Reds have beaten their last five French visitors to Anfield.
That makes ominous reading for PSG, who also have to contend with the fact that French sides have won none of their last 15 visits to England overall (D1, L14).
The Parisians themselves have lost their last four trips to these shores, but they’ve proven dangerous when wounded, having managed to progress in two of their previous five UCL knockout ties after losing the first leg.
The most recent example was beating Barcelona 6-4 on aggregate last season despite losing at home initially, although that was the first time after seven failed attempts previously that they had won a two-legged European tie after a home loss in the first leg.
Luis Enrique’s troops will be desperate to perform another miracle on Merseyside, and confidence should be high since they got back to winning ways with an emphatic 4-1 win at Rennes at the weekend.
Form – last six games
Liverpool – WDWWWW
PSG – WWWWLW
Possible starting line-ups
Liverpool: Alisson; Alexander-Arnold, Konate, Van Dijk, Robertson; Mac Allister, Gravenberch; Salah, Elliott, Gakpo; Jota
PSG: Donnarumma; Hakimi, Marquinhos, Pacho, Mendes; Ruiz, Vitinha, Neves; Kvaratskhelia, Dembele, Barcola
Players to watch
Liverpool: Mohamed Salah
PSG: Bradley Bracola
Injury list
Liverpool: Joe Gomez, Conor Bradley
PSG: None
SportsAfrica prediction
Liverpool to win by the slimmest of margins due to their European pedigree and home ground advantage (Kop support).
