Liverpool vs. Paris Saint-Germain: UCL Match Preview, Odds & Predictions

Ligue 1 winners Paris Saint-Germain will visit Anfield on Tuesday night for the second leg of their Champions League last-16 match, and Liverpool will be sure to cheer on their fortunate Parisian heroes.

Despite losing the first leg last week, Arne Slot's team managed to escape the French city with a 1-0 victory thanks to an outstanding substitute and goalie.

Previous Matches and Head-to-head

Despite PSG's best efforts throughout the match, the long-serving Liverpool goalkeeper Alisson Becker produced nine spectacular stops to keep PSG's growing desperation at bay. The only goal PSG scored was an offside attempt by Khvicha Kvaratskhelia.

Even though Luis Enrique's team failed to score from 27 attempts, Liverpool scored the game-winning goal with only one of their two shots on goal. Substitute Harvey Elliott scored a thrilling winner in the 87th minute to compensate for PSG's carelessness.

Winning the first leg has been a good omen for Liverpool over the past two decades, as they have progressed from their last 14 Champions League ties when they won the opening battle. Only once in the league's history has a team won a knockout game despite a shot difference of -25 or more.

The Reds were previously eliminated in this manner by the 2001–02 Bayer Leverkusen squad. However, Southampton prevailed on Saturday afternoon after PSG lost last Wednesday. Will Smallbone scored the game-winning goal for the Premier League's cellar dwellers following an unusual defensive blunder.

But in the second half, Liverpool were a different animal, drawing level through Darwin Nunez before Mohamed Salah scored twice from penalty spots to win it. The incredible Egyptian equalled the record for most goal involvements in a 38-game Premier League season and became Liverpool's third-highest scorer.

The hosts have won four in a row in all competitions, but just like at the Parc des Princes, PSG should be licking their lips at some aspects of their performance, particularly in the first half of their 3-1 comeback triumph against the Saints.

Even if Les Parisiens' first-leg defeat was unexpected considering the number of chances they had, PSG's Champions League struggles have been a constant theme despite their endless spending.

On Tuesday, the defending Ligue 1 champions will want to build on last year's tournament glory as they attempt to pull off another remarkable comeback. They famously trailed 3-2 at home to Barcelona in the 2023–24 quarter-finals but advanced thanks to a 4-1 second-leg victory in Catalonia.

Interestingly, Enrique's team thrashed Rennes by the same score on Saturday. They made up for their offensive shortcomings in the first leg, scoring twice via Goncalo Ramos and Bradley Barcola. Then, in extra time, the sensational Ousmane Dembele scored his 19th and 20th goals of the season in Ligue 1.

Despite facing weaker opponents in Brest, Stuttgart, and Red Bull Salzburg, PSG have won their past 13 away matches in all competitions, including all three of their Champions League matches in a row, thanks to their rout of Les Rouges et Noir.

While it's true that no French team has ever won a European away match against an English club, PSG's victory over Manchester United in December 2020 gave fans hope for a change on Merseyside—that is, unless Alisson puts in another "best performance of his life," which he has promised to do.

Liverpool x Paris Saint-Germain Team News

The win over Southampton left Liverpool with no fresh injury worries. However, Cody Gakpo will likely be unable to play against the French champions after missing another game with a recent knock.

Joe Gomez (hamstring), Conor Bradley (hamstring), and Tyler Morton (shoulder) are three players who will not be able to play for Slot. Due to injury, Slot made three substitutions at halftime on Saturday, including removing Dominik Szoboszlai.

After the fact, the Reds manager said that playing the Hungarian workhorse—who seems to have reached his physical limit—may have been a mistake; as a result, midweek, Elliott, a hero in Paris, might start in the number 10 role.

Regarding the second leg against Rennes, PSG are healthy going into it, so Enrique can rest a few key players and play a more shuffled lineup.

Some of the senior players benched over the weekend will likely make a triumphant comeback, including the electric Dembele, who will lead the line in Ramos's absence. Others include Vitinha, Fabian Ruiz, Achraf Hakimi, Marquinhos, Nuno Mendes, and Gianluigi Donnarumma.

Warren Zaire-Emery, 19, will now be sitting on the Anfield bench after reportedly being liked by Liverpool. He led Les Parisiens in their hammering of Rennes while playing the proper defence.

Our Predictions

PSG to win @ 2.90 on Sky247.ng

While Liverpool's performance at Anfield on Champions League evenings can be daunting for any opponent, PSG's crop may be able to quiet the Kop on Tuesday after being stunned by Liverpool's quality of play in midweek.

Don't expect PSG to make the same errors in their penalty box as Slot's team did in the first half of their victory over Southampton. In the second half, they required two penalty kicks from Salah to salvage the game.

Our pick is PSG to advance at the conclusion of a 120-minute marathon because Enrique has a fully fit team and can afford to make many changes over the weekend. The visitors should be able to fix their offensive blunders from the first leg against their legged opponents thanks to their rejuvenated alternatives.

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