Liverpool Vs. Paris Saint-Germain Prediction: The Reds Alert, Les Parisiens Ready To Revenge At Anfield!

JAKARTA - Liverpool will host Ligue 1 champions Paris Saint-Germain, in the second leg of the Champions League last 16 at Anfield on Tuesday night March 11 or Wednesday morning WIB. The Reds brought a narrow 1-0 advantage over the first meeting at the Parc des Princes, thanks to Alisson Becker's heroic action and Harvey Elliott's late goal.

Liverpool appeared as a very lucky team in Paris' first leg. PSG dominated the game with 27 shots into the net, but failed to score thanks to Alisson Becker's outstanding performance who made nine brilliant saves. In fact, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia's goal had to be disallowed due to offside.

Meanwhile, Liverpool only recorded two shots throughout the game, with their only golden opportunity converted into goals by Elliott in the 87th minute. These statistics made Liverpool make history as the second team in the Champions League to win in a knockout match despite having a shot difference of -25 or more.

History also sided with the Reds, as they have won their last 14 Champions League knockout stages where they managed to win in the first leg. The last time Liverpool were knocked out after winning the first leg was in the 2001-02 season when Bayer Leverkusen turned things around.

However, Liverpool's performance was not entirely convincing. They were left behind by Southampton in last weekend's Premier League match due to backline errors. Although they ended up winning 3-1 thanks to Darwin Nunez's goal and two Mohamed Salah's penalties, the less convincing first half should give PSG hope to bounce back at Anfield.

Meanwhile, PSG are still haunted by their curse in the Champions League. Despite having a star-studded squad, Les Parisiens continued to fail to conquer Europe's most prestigious competition. However, they were able to take inspiration from last season when they were able to rise after losing 3-2 at home to Barcelona, then winning 4-1 in Spain to qualify for the semifinals.

Ahead of the match at Anfield, PSG showed their sharpness by destroying Rennes 4-1 in Ligue 1. Ousmane Dembele scored two goals in extra time, increasing his league number of goals to 20 this season.

PSG also had an impressive away record, with 13 consecutive wins in all competitions. Their last three away wins in the Champions League have indeed fought lighter opponents such as Brest, Stuttgart, and Red Bull Salzburg, but they can still be confident against Liverpool.

However, history also did not side with the French team on a trip to England. No French team won in their last 15 visits to England in European competition. Interestingly, PSG was the last French team to win in England when they beat Manchester United in December 2020.

Liverpool will face PSG without additional new injuries after their win over Southampton. However, Cody Gakpo is still in a doubt over the injury he suffered earlier.

In addition, Tyler Platform (bahu), Joe Gomez (hamstring), and Conor Bradley (hamstring) are ruled out. Coach Arne Slot also admitted that playing Dominik Szoboszlai from the start against Southampton may be the wrong decision. Therefore, it is possible that Harvey Elliott will be trusted as a starter after becoming a hero in Paris.

In the PSG camp, they came to Anfield with full strength without a single injured player. Luis Enrique made a massive rotation in victory over Rennes, so key players such as Ousmane Dembele, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, Vitinha, Fabian Ruiz, Achraf Hakimi, Marquinhos, Nuno Mendes, and Gianluigi Donnarumma will most likely return to the starting XI.

Warren Zare-Emery, who appeared PSG captain against Rennes, is likely to return to the bench for this match.

Although Liverpool have a 1-0 aggregate advantage and their side history, PSG will come determined to turn things around. If Alisson returns to glory, the Reds can secure a place in the quarter-finals. However, if PSG finds a better finish than the first leg, they have a great chance of turning things around.

Liverpool (4-2-3-1): Alisson; Alexander-Arnold, Konate, Van Dijk, Robertson; Mac Allister, Gravenberch; Salah, Elliott, Diaz; Nunez.

Paris Saint-Germain (4-3-3):Donnarumma; Hakimi, Marquinhos, Pacho, Mendes; Ruiz, Vitinha, Neves; Kvaratskhelia, Dembele, Barcola.

Final prediction: Liverpool 1-2 PSG