The league phase of the UEFA Champions League is well underway, and two teams that have impressed so far are Paris Saint-Germain and Liverpool FC.
The reigning Premier League champions already have a win over Real Madrid and Galatasaray S.K. They sit eighth in the league phase table, and many fans are going online where Livefootballtickets explains how to buy Liverpool tickets. PSG is coming off a defeat to FC Bayern Munich, but they defeated FC Barcelona and Bayer Leverkusen on the road and currently sit fifth in the table.
If both Liverpool and PSG finish where they are currently in the league phase table, they will avoid playing each other until the semi-finals. It would be a dream matchup considering the two sides played an epic tie last season in the Round of 16 that went to penalties. Gianluigi Donnarumma came up big for PSG, and that win propelled Les Parisiens to the Champions League title. So, what would happen this season if the two teams faced off?
It’s always hard to predict, but injuries will play a huge factor in whether PSG would be favored to beat Liverpool in the Champions League. Currently, PSG is without Ousmane Dembélé, Désiré Doué, Achraf Hakimi, and Nuno Mendes. All four are expected back in the squad before the knockout round begins, so let’s assume they will be available for Luis Enrique.
Now, let’s go through each position and see which team has the advantage.
Goalkeeper: Advantage Liverpool
Alisson Becker and Giorgi Mamardashvili would be preferred to Lucas Chevalier at the moment. The Frenchman has struggled this season since replacing Donnarumma, and until he can string together some solid performances, you have to give Liverpool the advantage.
Defense: Tie
I’ll give Liverpool the advantage at center-back with Virgil van Dijk and Ibrahima Konate. However, few teams can boast better full-backs than PSG’s Hakimi and Mendes. Even still, some might be tempted to give PSG the advantage as Willian Pacho has elevated his game this season and is considered one of the best defenders in the game.
Midfield: PSG
With all due respect to Florian Wirtz, Alexis Mac Allister, and the rest of Liverpool’s midfielders, they don’t come close to Vitinha, João Neves, and Fabian Ruiz. You could make the argument that the trio is the best in Europe, and Vitinha, in particular, is making a strong case to be in consideration for the Ballon d’Or.
Attack: PSG
Again, no disrespect to Liverpool, Mohamed Salah is a legend, Alexander Isak is a brilliant goalscorer, and former PSG player Hugo Ekitike can cause a lot of problems for defenders, but there’s something about the positionless football that Dembélé, Doué, Bradley Barcola, and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia can play. They are constantly swapping sides, and when they’re joined by Hakimi and Mendes, opposing defenders are left flat-footed.
Finally, you have to give PSG the slight edge in terms of manager with Luis Enrique over Arne Slot. So, would PSG be favored over Liverpool? I think it would be another epic tie, but I would give PSG the advantage to advance.
