Liverpool are poised to face Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League quarter-final if the Reds progress past Galatasaray and the Ligue 1 outfit beat Chelsea
Liverpool could face Paris Saint-Germain again in the Champions League
Liverpool could face Paris Saint-Germain again in the Champions League(Image: Getty Images)
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Liverpool could face an awkward reunion with Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League - 12 months after several ex-players were 'kicked out' of Anfield and VAR anger caused Italian referee Davide Massa to be surrounded in the tunnel.
The Reds face Galatasaray in the Round of 16 of Europe's elite club competition later this month, after the draw was made at the House of European Football in Nyon, Switzerland on Friday. And should Arne Slot's side beat the Turkish outfit, they will face either PSG or Chelsea in the quarter-final.
If PSG end up coming through and taking on the Reds in the last eight, it would be a repeat of the last 16 showdown in March 2025 - a two-legged tie that had so much drama.
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As Liverpool won the league phase and PSG had to come through a play-off against Brest, the Reds travelled to Paris first before hosting the French club in the second leg.
Although Slot's side ran out 1-0 winners at the Parc des Princes thanks to Harvey Elliott's late goal, it's safe to say the Reds were fortunate to come out with an advantage from the first leg.
Indeed, PSG had 27 shots compared to Liverpool's two, and produced an expected goals (xG) of 1.82 throughout. Alisson had to be at his best, with the Brazilian making 10 saves and winning the Player of the Match.
Alisson Becker receives the Player Of The Match award against PSG
Alisson was outstanding for Liverpool against Paris Saint-Germain last March(Image: 2025 UEFA)
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And PSG's frustration appeared at half-time when sporting director Luis Campos was furious that Ibrahima Konate avoided a red card when he appeared to bring down Bradley Barcola just inside the 18-yard box.
France international Konate was the last man, and replays showed contact between both players before Barcola went down but the officials did not consider his challenge a foul, leaving PSG irate.
VAR had a closer look at the incident again and opted not to award PSG a spot-kick or hand Konate a red card, sticking to referee Davide Manna's initial decision of no penalty.
Campos was seen shouting, "it's a red card or a penalty" repeatedly at Massa as he made his way back to the changing room during the half-time interval.
PSG players remonstrated with Massa during a long VAR check while Rio Ferdinand, working for TNT Sports as a pundit, saying he was "amazed" that Konate did not see red.
Paris Saint-Germain's French forward #29 Bradley Barcola (L) and Liverpool's French defender #05 Ibrahima Konate (R) fight for the ball during the UEFA Champions League Round of 16 first leg football match between Paris Saint-Germain (FRA) and Liverpool (ENG) at the Parc des Princes stadium in Paris on March 5, 2025. (Photo by FRANCK FIFE / AFP) (Photo by FRANCK FIFE/AFP via Getty Images)
PSG forward Bradley Barcola goes down under pressure from Liverpool centre-back Ibrahima Konate but no foul was given (Image: FRANCK FIFE/AFP via Getty Images)
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While PSG were infuriated about the decision to keep Konate on the pitch and losing 1-0, they responded with another dominant performance in the second leg - and this time the Ligue 1 side won.
Luis Enrique's men edged the Reds 1-0 in normal time at Anfield with Ousmane Dembele scoring in the first half to take the tie to extra-time and then penalties were needed to separate the two after more than 210 minutes.
But before that, several ex-PSG players, including former France international Jeremy Menez, were 'kicked out' of the stadium and were unable to watch the winning moment live.
The group had celebrated Dembele's goal, causing home supporters to alert nearby staff. It was reported that the ex-players were then asked to leave the stadium around the 65th minute.
Menez and the rest of the group then watched what remained of the match on a bus and then at a hotel.
Ex-Manchester City midfielder Samir Nasri revealed details of the incident on Canal +, saying: "A thought for those who were kicked out of the stadium too. Jeremy Menez was at the match, he was asked if he was French. After his answer, they told him to leave the stadium, in the 70th minute no less."
Paris Saint-Germain beat Liverpool on penalties in the Champions League round of 16
Paris Saint-Germain ended up winning the shootout(Image: Getty Images)
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PSG ended up winning the shootout in the end and progressing to the last eight. They went on to win the Champions League that season, beating Aston Villa, Arsenal and Inter Milan en route.
But Liverpool would be out for revenge if they beat Galatasaray and the Paris side overcome Chelsea.
Speaking last month, however, Slot revealed that losing against PSG helped Liverpool win the Premier League title. "This is not going to be a popular opinion what I’m going to tell you now, but maybe the reason why we won the league last season is that we had to play Paris Saint-Germain in the last-16,.
"As you know, they beat us, and we had every time a week to prepare for the next game. Maybe that has helped us as well, maybe if we had to double up that programme, which Arsenal had, and they dropped a few points in that period of time, that has helped us in winning the league."
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