Liverpool get their UEFA Champions League knockout campaign underway on Wednesday evening when they travel to Parc des Princes to face Paris Saint-Germain.
The Reds finished the league phase in top spot, and barring a dead-rubber defeat to PSV Eindhoven, they swept aside their other European adversaries with minimal fuss. Arne Slot and Co. now remain in hot pursuit of a domestic and continental treble.
The Merseysiders had no weekend fixtures after suffering an early shock elimination from the FA Cup at the hands of Plymouth Argyle, so they will be fresh when coming up against PSG, who annihilated fellow French side Brest 10-0 on aggregate during a playoff clash.
Liverpool Team News
Liverpool announced their 24-man travelling squad on Tuesday, and the list does not feature the likes of Conor Bradley, Joe Gomez, Tyler Morton and Amara Nallo. Bradley, Gomez and Morton are all injured, while Nallo received a red card against PSV Eindhoven in the previous Champions League game and is subsequently suspended.
Predicted Liverpool lineup vs Paris Saint-Germain (4-2-3-1)
Goalkeeper
Alisson Becker should once again be Liverpool’s custodian in goal. The Brazilian has to work extremely hard to keep a clean sheet in the French capital.
Defence
Liverpool’s defence has been rock solid this season, and lot of this is largely due to the excellent partnership of Virgil van Dijk and Ibrahima Konate. The centre-backs, however, come up against a mighty challenge of stopping the PSG forwards—something Van Dijk and Konate would cherish.
Trent Alexander-Arnold will hope to make a difference offensively from the right-back position, with Andy Robertson likely to get the nod over Kostas Tsimikas at left-back.
Midfield
The midfield axis of Ryan Gravenberch, Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai picks itself in the XI. Both Gravenberch and Mac Allister will be key in soaking up the pressure in the centre of the park and playing those quick passes or diagonals that could cause problems for the home side.
Having scored in back to back league games, Szoboszlai will be raring to get himself on the scoresheet again. He will operate in the hole behind the main striker, with Curtis Jones, Wataru Endo and Harvey Elliot expected to come off the bench in the second half.
Attack
Cody Gakpo made his return from injury as a substitute against Newcastle United last week and may be consigned with a role on the bench again. This means Arne Slot could go with Luis Diaz on the left flank and Diogo Jota through the middle as a No.9. Enjoying a stellar season in a Red shirt, Mohamed Salah remains a sure-fix starter off the right.
I am Rohan Sengupta from one of the busiest cities in India, Mumbai. A Journalism graduate with a keen interest in sports, football is something I simply cannot live without and writing, discussing and analyzing the game is what I do 24*7.
