Arne Slot believes Liverpool can defeat PSG in the Champions League quarter-finals, despite losing 2-0 in the first leg. He emphasizes the need for a perfect performance at Anfield to turn the tie around.
Arne Slot has said Liverpool do not face an impossible task against Paris Saint-Germain but must produce the perfect performance to overcome the European champions in the quarter-finals of the Champions League.
Liverpool require another stirring Anfield comeback in Tuesdayās second leg to salvage their hopes of silverware having lost 2-0 at Parc des Princes last week. PSG were vastly superior in the first leg and should have won more comfortably, although their head coach, Luis Enrique, described such talk as āa trapā and claimed there will be āpitfallsā for his team at Anfield.
Both Slot and Dominik Szoboszlai exuded confidence at the pre-match press conference on Monday, with the Liverpool head coach insisting it will not be difficult to instil belief in his players for a make-or-break night at Anfield.
āFirst of all Iād remind the players of the score,ā said Slot. āIt was 2-0. It felt completely different on the night but the result was 2-0 and we have shown many times this season in big games that we are able to give a great performance. We have also shown a different side, I am aware of that, but for the ones that have been with me for the past one and a half years, in the 49 home games we played we were able to score two goals or more in 36. (It is 36 in 50 games since losing 1-0 to Nottingham Forest in September 2024.)
āYes, we donāt play PSG in all 49 home games but we have played very strong opponents in the Champions League and Premier League. There is a belief we can do special things tomorrow but we need to be very, very special to achieve that as we are playing against the champions of Europe. That makes the task more complicated but not impossible.ā
Asked where he found such belief, given Liverpoolās problems this season and their current run of three wins in nine games, Slot insisted he could give āone, two, 10 or 200ā examples of his team performing at the level that will be necessary against PSG.
Arne Slot smiles in training
Arne Slot manages a smile in training but he sounded serious when he said Liverpool could turn the tie around against PSG. Photograph: Ed Sykes/Reuters
He added: āIn first 35 minutes at the Etihad [against Manchester City in the FA Cup], did you expect us to be 4-0 down 20 minutes later? Would you expect us after losing 1-0 to Galatasaray to then win 4-0 and we could have scored eight or nine at home? The amount of times we have shown we can be much better than we were against PSG is clear. Even on Saturday against Fulham, it showed how important a goal can be to change momentum.
āWe have to find the perfect balance, but to be offensive you need to have the ball and you need to do so many things well before your attackers can attack. In the history of this club you have seen so many players who are good offensively but also work so hard defensively. Both teams like to have the ball a lot. The last time we faced them they had the ball 70% so that is the first thing we have to change.ā
Szoboszlai said Liverpool had to go āall inā from the first minute until the final whistle to knock out a PSG team who were given a free weekend to prepare for the second leg by Franceās Ligue de Football Professionel. āI believe completely,ā said Szoboszlai. āI think I can speak for all of the players ā I want it so bad and in a one-off game anything can happen at Anfield.ā
The Liverpool midfielder issued an apology of sorts for gesturing to fans after the Cup collapse at City. Szoboszlai insisted: āMaybe it was a misunderstanding between me and the fans. I didnāt mean it in a bad way. Obviously, I know what the fans mean for this club and what this club means for the fans.
āIf it was a misunderstanding then I apologise. But the fans can feel also that Iām not feeling better than them, Iām feeling exactly the same way as they do. And to make it clear, Iām with them and we are with them. Hopefully they are with us too.ā
PSG forward Bradley Barcola is in the travelling squad having missed the first leg with an ankle ligament injury. Enrique, who delivered the clubās first Champions League title in style last season, beating Liverpool on penalties at Anfield in the last 16, warned his players the quarter-final is far from over.
āThere could be pitfalls, there could be a trap here with people saying we won easily last week,ā claimed the PSG coach. āThat might be true, I donāt know, but things can change quickly in a football match so you need to take care of the details. If we concede then the game is really open. We donāt want to allow Liverpool to benefit from their fans and the noise they create, but that is also motivation for us.ā
Q&A
What does Arne Slot say about Liverpool's chances against PSG?
Arne Slot believes Liverpool can win against PSG, stating that the task is challenging but not impossible.
What was the score of the first leg between Liverpool and PSG?
Liverpool lost the first leg 2-0 at Parc des Princes.
How many home games has Liverpool scored two or more goals in under Arne Slot?
Liverpool has scored two or more goals in 36 out of 49 home games under Arne Slot.
What does Luis Enrique warn about ahead of the second leg at Anfield?
Luis Enrique warns that there are potential pitfalls for PSG at Anfield, despite their first-leg advantage.
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