Liverpool have just a few days before they travel to Paris to face PSG in a huge Champions League clash, but Arne Slot has a few concerns to contend with ahead of the game
Liverpool are ramping up plans for a huge Champions League last-16 clash against Paris Saint-Germain on Wednesday night.
The Reds have benefited from a small break after not being involved in the FA Cup this weekend – following their shock exit at the hands of Plymouth in the last round.
Arne Slot will be happy to get an extended rest ahead of a massive game in Paris, where his players will be up against a dangerous PSG side under Luis Enrique.
As Liverpool build up to the Champions League clash, Mirror Football has broken down all the biggest news around Anfield.
Shearer predicts Salah will stay
While Mohamed Salah continues to enjoy arguably the best season of his storied career, he is no closer to agreeing a new deal with Liverpool – with the player set to become a free agent this summer as things stand.
The Egyptian has been a sensation this term and looks likely to guide the Reds to the Premier League title after helping the team go 13 points clear of Arsenal and some might be surprised that Liverpool aren’t desperate to lock him down.
But after watching him plunder 30 goals for Liverpool this season and provide 22 assists, Match of the Day pundit Alan Shearer admitted he would be stunned if Liverpool didn’t do everything in their power to keep him at Anfield.
“I think without a doubt that this is the best version of Mo Salah we’ve seen,” Shearer says, speaking to Betfair. “I said earlier in the season that we should see what happens in terms of a 1% drop in his levels due to his contract situation; but that hasn’t happened, on the contrary he seems to be getting even better and stronger as the season goes on.
“There’s still no word on his contract situation, but I’d be amazed if Liverpool don’t sort something out to keep him at least for another year or two. Losing Mo Salah would be huge for Liverpool and the Premier League, because he’s an iconic player.
“Everything he’s doing right now seems to result in either a goal or an assist. Even against Newcastle on Wednesday night, Lewis Hall gave him a really good battle, but some of his bits of quality were just superb. He is an icon of the Premier League, no doubt about it.”
Reds face disciplinary concern against PSG
Slot will be wary that a number of his players are walking a tightrope ahead of the game at the Parc de Princes.
Going in to the match, Ibrahima Konate, Andy Robertson and Harvey Elliott are all one yellow card away from a one-game suspension after being cautioned twice.
Meanwhile, Alexis Mac Allister is also one card away from being banned, having already served a one-match ban earlier in the season. He is currently on four yellow cards in the competition.
Slot might be tempted to tinker with his XI as a result to make sure not all of his affected four players are in the firing line, in case he ends up losing all of them.
The Dutchman also has another possible conundrum with four players set to miss the match against PSG.
Joe Gomez and Tyler Morton are long-term absentees after undergoing surgery for hamstring and shoulder problems respectively, while Conor Bradley is out.
Young defender Amara Nallo will be suspended too, so Slot will be hopeful the four at risk of suspension do not add to his problems.
Diaz drops hint on future
Liverpool forward Luis Diaz has become a fan favourite since moving to Anfield from FC Porto in 2022.
He’s netted 25 times in the Premier League across the last four seasons and he has effectively confirmed he wants to stay at Liverpool for the foreseeable future after revealing he wants to be the highest-scoring Colombian in the English top fight.
Diaz is currently behind former Wigan man Hugo Rodallega (29), Hamilton Ricard (31) and Juan Pablo Angel (44) – so he still has some way to go before collecting that landmark.
“Now and again, I find out about the stats when people post them on social media. But how nice it is to be getting close to such great fellow Colombian players like Hugo and all the others,” said Diaz, via the official Liverpool website.
“It’s a real pleasure for me to be right there close behind them and I realise that maybe I will catch them at some point. You could say that it’s another one of those personal targets that I have. I know that things are going well for me and I’m in decent form.
“What I want the most is to keep making history and, first and foremost, that Colombians who come over to England to play really leave their mark. That’s key for us all now – to give a positive image of our country, just like they all did.
“Now those of us here are trying to do just that. I’m very happy with that and we hope to continue doing the same things in future.”
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