UCL Preview: PSG head to Liverpool with semifinal spot on the line
Ligue 1 McDonald's leaders Paris Saint-Germain will be looking to seal a spot in the Champions League semifinals as they take a 2-0 first leg lead to Anfield to face Liverpool -- get the latest with our match preview
More of the same for PSG?
After last weekend's comprehensive win at the Parc des Princes, and with a weekend off, Luis Enrique's side should offer more of the same. With no changes in fitness or suspension, it should be as you were for the capital side, with Désiré Doué and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia flanking Ousmane Dembélé in attack. The Georgian in particular has impressed in Europe this season, with eight goals and four assists, and he'll look to continue the Reds' back line.
That said, PSG will be wary of the nervy nature of last year's clash in the Round of 16 -- they only advanced after a penalty shootout. With that being the case, and given their attacking prowess, look for PSG to get on the front foot early, knowing that scoring first will all but kill the tie. Speaking pre-match, Enrique emphasized this was the strategy, saying (with a cautionary tone) "The match will be very different from the first leg. We need to know how to manage the difficult moments and then play our game as usual. We didn't come here just to defend the result."
And while the Ligue 1 McDonald's leaders will be looking to secure their spot in the next round, they also showed their class by paying tribute to Diego Jota, the late Liverpool player and Portuguese international who had been an international teammate of several PSG players.
YNWA 🇵🇹❤️
PSG squad pays tribute to Diogo Jota outside Anfield ahead of the #UCL match against Liverpool.
📷 @OLIVETALLARON pic.twitter.com/ISzyJcSCl6— Ligue 1 English (@Ligue1_ENG) April 13, 2026
A season-defining opportunity for the HOSTS
Liverpool, for their part, will look to rebound from their humbling at the Parc, which they did so domestically against Fulham at the weekend, winning 2-0 with Mo Salah and teenager Rio Ngumoha netting in the spce of four first-half minutes. But unlike PSG, they still face an uphill battle to qualify for next-year's competition, and there's some suspicion that with the Merseyside derby ahead this weekend, they may be tempted to ease up.
Even so, manager Arne Slot (who is under no small amount of pressure) struck a defiant tone, telling the press, "We've shown so many times this season that in big games we're able to deliver a great performance. There is a belief that we can do special things tomorrow, but we need to be very, very special to achieve that [a comeback] because we're playing against the champions of Europe. That makes the task more complicated, but not impossible."
Predicted lineups:
Liverpool FC (4-2-3-1): Mamardashvili; Gomez, Konaté, Van Dijk, Kerkez; Gravenberch, MacAllister; Salah, Szoboszlai, Wirtz; Ekitiké
Paris Saint-Germain (4-3-3): Safonov; Hakimi, Marquinhos, Pacho, Mendes; Zaïre-Emery, Vitinha, Neves; Kvaratskhelia, Dembélé, Doué
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