PSG – Liverpool

The Parisians will start with a confident victory in a duel against Arne Slot's team.

PSG in the current season took longer than usual to shake off rust and gain match fitness. The most direct factor behind this situation was the absence of pre-season preparation. While players of ordinary European clubs were resting and undergoing summer camps, the Parisians worked around the clock at the Club World Cup. However, after the round of 16 in the Champions League against Chelsea and in matches on the domestic stage, Luis Enrique's charges look quite championship-ready. In the group stage of the elite European tournament, PSG failed to finish among the top eight, and therefore had to push through to the knockout stage via a very tough barrier in the form of Monaco. If we talk about problems and difficulties entering the season, then Liverpool in this respect has outpaced all the top European clubs. After signing players during the summer transfer window with a total value of half a billion euros, Arne Slot had to assemble a new team, the cohesion of which had long been in doubt. Now Liverpool is playing much better than in the autumn of last year, but still gives the impression of a raw squad. It is very telling of the Reds' condition by their Saturday match against Manchester City, which ended at the Etihad with a 0-4 defeat. Looking for excuses in the cup status of the match is pointless, as Liverpool played essentially their first-choice lineup. Bookmakers have made the home side the favourites for the upcoming match, offering odds of 1.74 on their victory. If you set aside all the nuances Luis Enrique has faced this season, then everything at his disposal is more than fine. Even the goalkeeper position has found its regular candidate in Matvey Safonov. There is no doubt that, even after mistakes in the Russian national team match and the Ligue 1 game against Toulouse, Safonov will take the place in the PSG goal. PSG's results since mid-March deserve respect. In the last four matches, the Parisians have consistently scored between three and five goals and beat their opponents. Liverpool in the same period lost three times, and won once and drew once. That level of form does not fit a quarterfinal participant.