Liverpool welcome Paris Saint-Germain to Anfield on Tuesday in the second leg of their Champions League tie looking to earn progress into the competition’s quarter-final stage
Arne Slot has called on Liverpool to deliver their best performance of the season to keep their Champions League dream alive.
The Reds take on French giants PSG in a blockbuster battle at Anfield on Tuesday. Liverpool are leading 1-0 from the first leg of the last-16 clash but they were outplayed in Paris a week ago with keeper Alisson’s heroics keeping them in the tie.
Slot said his side will need to be special to dump one of the “richest clubs” out of the competition. When asked if they need their best performance of the season, he said: “I do think so because they are the most complete team we have faced so far.”
Slot’s side are running away with the Premier League title at home but believes taking on Luis Enrique’s PSG might be an even bigger task than facing English rivals Arsenal and Manchester City. Liverpool drew at Arsenal earlier in the campaign bu t have beaten City at home and away this season.
“What I mean by complete is we have faced Arsenal and City,” he added. “Not that there are big margins but the intensity they played at, combined with the quality because we are talking here about probably the richest clubs, maybe there is one club a bit further ahead.
“They have so much quality and a great manager because he has the team playing in a way that is not easy to play against. He brings the best out of every player and incredible work-rate and we have to be at our best.
“But, for example, we didn’t have ball possession at City away – the other richest club in the world together with Paris Saint-Germain – but at home, we had a completely different performance against City than away.”
Slot hopes that the Reds will enjoy more possession at Anfield than they did at the Parc des Princes. The Liverpool boss has even already seen how his side could take advantage against the Parisians after failing to do so last time out.
“We hope we will have more of the ball but again if you saw them playing, they are intense without the ball, which led to them creating a few chances, they took the ball away from us,” he said. “But in the 87 th minute we played it long and they were open, when I watched the game back, I saw a few moments that we could have had chances if we did that better.
“The thing is, they did exhaust us a bit more than I wanted, constantly pressing us and if we don’t get the ball you are too tired to make a perfect exeuction, that is why it makes sense to have the ball a bit more and hopefully it opens up a bit more. I don’t agree with people who said we were poor, doesn’t give incredible PSG credit they deserve.”
Cody Gakpo will be in the squad after returning to training yesterday with the first team after recovering from an ankle injury. The Dutchman last started in the dramatic 2-2 derby draw against Everton at Goodison Park, last month.
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