Paris Saint-Germain may be confident of overturning their Champions League deficit to Liverpool but Anfield may have other ideas
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Updated 10:30, 11 Mar 2025
PARIS, FRANCE - MARCH 05: Gianluigi Donnarumma #1 and Willian Pacho #51 of Paris Saint-Germain are dissapointed after the first goal of Liverpool FC during the UEFA Champions League 2024/25 UEFA Champions League 2024/25 Round of 16 first leg match between Paris Saint-Germain and Liverpool FC at Parc des Princes on March 05, 2025 in Paris, France. (Photo by Xavier Laine/Getty Images)
PSG duo Gianluigi Donnarumma and Willian Pacho look broken after Harvey Elliott puts Liverpool in front against the run of play at the Parc des Princes
(Image: Xavier Laine/Getty Images)
Paris-Saint Germain will have to make history by becoming the first French club to win a European second leg at Anfield to extend their Champions League journey beyond the round-of-16 stage. While Luis Enrique’s side face an uphill battle after Harvey Elliott struck late in Paris last week to earn Liverpool a smash-and-grab 1-0 victory, the French champions are confident they can mount an unlikely comeback.
Encouraged by their dominant display inside Parc des Princes, where PSG forced Alisson Becker into nine saves and limited Arne Slot’s men to just two shots on goal, belief is sky-high in the Ligue 1 leaders’ ranks with several players stating publicly that they are certain to progress.
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Following the defeat, stars Vitinha, William Pacho and Achraf Hakimi were especially bullish about the Parisians’ chances of overturning the one-goal deficit on Merseyside this evening.
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However, history makes grim reading for PSG. Liverpool boast an impervious record against French opposition in European return fixtures at Anfield, winning all seven matches by a 19-1 aggregate scoreline. The Reds have progressed unscathed through each of the 39 ties where they have established a first-leg lead away from home.
And a group of former footballers, who played for French clubs at Anfield in European return games, have issued a cautionary warning to PSG ahead of the second leg.
Speaking to the famed French outlet L’Equipe, former midfielder Vincent Guérin recounted the physical toll the Anfield atmosphere took on his performance as his PSG side were beaten 2-0 in the second leg of the 1997 European Cup Winners' Cup semi-final.
While the Parisians’ 3-0 first-leg victory would see them progress to the final, Guérin described a feeling of panic as he was unable to communicate with Brazilian midfield partner Raí after Mark Wright scored to haul the Reds right back into the tie and set up a grandstand finish.
Guérin said: “When we conceded the second goal there was an indescribable explosion in the stands. I then yelled something at Rai, who didn't hear me. And I didn't hear what I was saying to him either, because I had tinnitus. It's the only stadium where I've experienced something like this. If ever at Anfield, qualification is decided in the last minutes, they can turn into a nightmare for the opponents.”
Carrying a 1-0 advantage into the second leg at Anfield, second-half goals from Michael Owen and Danny Murphy saw Liverpool defeat Auxerre 2-0 on Merseyside to comfortably progress to the quarter-final stage of the 2003 UEFA Cup.
Auxerre midfielder Yann Lachuer shared a similar experience as coach Guy Roux’s touchline instructions went unheard inside a raucous Anfield: “The coach had a big voice, you could see him screaming, but he remained inaudible from the pitch."
For Dominique Bathenay, who was part of the 1977 Saint-Etienne team defeated 3-1 in the quarter-finals of the European Cup, memories of the Kop remain as vivid as ever. He lauded the stadium's atmosphere: “It's been almost 50 years since I played there, but I still remember precisely the noise made that day from the Kop."
“It's with hindsight that you realise where you played, which players you faced and the atmosphere there was," said defender Stéphane Mahé, who featured in Auxerre’s 3-0 UEFA Cup defeat on Merseyside in 1991. "Whatever happens to them on Tuesday in Liverpool, the Parisians will remember it for the rest of their lives.”
It remains to be seen whether PSG should heed the warning of players who have tried and failed to overcome the Anfield atmosphere as they aim to record a historic away victory.
After all, the Parisians are far more capable than many of their predecessors of pulling off a miraculous win on the road.
One thing is for certain, though, it would be naive of PSG to ignore the influence the Anfield crowd will have on the contest, and it is unlikely they will be able to replicate their first-leg dominance if Liverpool can produce the form they have maintained throughout their Premier League and European campaigns this season under Arne Slot.