PSG vs. Liverpool: The Individual Battles to Watch For

PSG vs. Liverpool: The Individual Battles to Watch For

It has been precisely 13 months since Paris Saint-Germain and Liverpool FC last faced off. At the time, Liverpool appeared to be in cruise control, having demolished their opponents in the UEFA Champions League and the Premier League, whereas PSG had only narrowly snuck into the knockout round. PSG delivered a dominant display at the Parc des Princes, only for Liverpool to be saved by an iconic goalkeeping performance by Alisson, with Harvey Elliott scoring a late goal against the run of play. However, it wouldn’t take long for Les Parisiens to even the account, with Ousmane Dembélé breaking the deadlock after 12 minutes at Anfield. The match went to penalties, where Gianluigi Donnarumma stood on his head and thwarted Darwin Núñez and Curtis Jones’ attempts to secure a 4-1 win.

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The rest, as they say, is history: PSG would go on to win their first-ever Champions League title, earning praise from the likes of Gustavo Poyet and putting French football on a pedestal it had been desperately awaiting. On the other hand, while PSG has defused an early title challenge from RC Lens and has given itself a surefire opportunity to repeat, Liverpool has suffered a notoriously terrible title defense. It seems that, unless Liverpool can mount a deep run in the Champions League, Arne Slot will be headed for the exit door after two years in charge.

Just what will determine PSG vs. Liverpool? Let’s take a look at the biggest individual battles:

Nuno Mendes vs. Mohamed Salah

Apart from a couple of absences like Fabián Ruiz and potentially Bradley Barcola, Luis Enrique should have a full squad at his disposal. What’s more, he will have a number of well-rested players like João Neves, Vitinha, and Nuno Mendes, who came off the bench in Friday’s 3-1 win vs. Toulouse FC.

Perhaps none will be more important than Mendes, who has bagged three goal contributions in his last two matches for PSG. The Portuguese youngster has established himself as the best left back in the game thanks to his attacking profligacy as well as his unyielding tenacity in 1v1 duels, holding his own against a number of elite wingers like Lamine Yamal and Michael Olise. Now, he’ll have to dominate proceedings against an all-time great in Mohamed Salah. The Egyptian will return to the line-up for the first time since announcing his impending departure, and while it’s undeniable that his game has tapered off this season, he’s still a dangerous threat. In fact, no player has more big chances created (8) and Expected Assists (3.8) than him in the Champions League. If Liverpool is to get something from this game, it will need Salah to provide the goods.

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