All you need to know about the first leg of the UEFA Champions League quarter-final tie between Paris Saint-Germain and Liverpool.
Paris' Désiré Doué and Liverpool's Hugo Ekitiké
Paris' Désiré Doué and Liverpool's Hugo Ekitiké
Paris Saint-Germain are getting ready to host Liverpool in the first leg of their UEFA Champions League quarter-final tie on Wednesday 8 April.
Match at a glance
When: Wednesday 8 April (21:00 CET)
Where: Parc des Princes, Paris
What: UEFA Champions League quarter-final first leg
Who: Reigning champions against six-time winnersHow to follow: Build-up and live coverage can be found here
Where to watch the game on TV
What you need to know
These sides met in the round of 16 last season, with Paris eventually prevailing on penalties in a nerve-jangling tie. That triumph proved to be the catalyst for a sparkling run of form that culminated in Luis Enrique's charges lifting the trophy at the end of the campaign.
That tie also started a remarkable trend of success for Paris against Premier League teams as they would go on to progress in two-legged ties against Aston Villa and Arsenal, a streak that continued when they comfortably defeated Chelsea 8-2 on aggregate in this season's round of 16. Should they go through the gears against another English club again here then their dream of back-to-back titles would certainly be enhanced.
Liverpool, who have won seven of their last 11 European matches against French teams, will fancy their chances at Anfield in the second leg if they can secure a favourable result here – see their dismantling of Galatasaray there in the round of 16 for evidence. In addition, Arne Slot will be buoyed by the fact that the Reds have won six of their last eight Champions League quarter-final ties.
Mohamed Salah, who became the first African player to reach 50 Champions League goals last time out, and Dominik Szoboszlai – who has scored in five of his last eight games in the competition – will both be vital to their chances. However, they will need to keep a close eye on Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, the Georgian ace having struck four goals in his last three Champions League knockout phase matches for Paris.
Match stats and facts
Possible line-ups
To follow
Form guide
Paris
Form: WWWLW (most recent game first)
Next: Paris vs Toulouse, 03/04, French Ligue 1
Liverpool
Form: LWDLW
Next: Man City vs Liverpool, 04/04, English FA Cup
Views from the camps
Luis Enrique, Paris coach: "Liverpool holds good memories for us, of course. I remember last year. Liverpool were the best team in Europe at that stage; they were playing incredible football. I'm fortunate to have an incredible team and intelligent players. They know that in this type of game, there are no favourites. It'll be very positive for us to play these two games."
Marquinhos, Paris defender: "Whichever team we face, I think they won't be happy to play against Paris."
Arne Slot, Liverpool coach: "They're an incredible team. We faced them last season, with both teams just playing football to entertain the fans. We were the only team that brought them to extra time and penalties. They've shown this season that they haven't dropped a level."
Hugo Ekitiké, Liverpool forward: "We deserve it. We're really happy. We did a great job [against Galatasaray]. We can be proud of ourselves and look forward to the quarter-finals."
Reporter's view
Alex Clementson, match reporter
To follow