Liverpool Champions League favourites: Does Arne Slot have to beat Paris Saint-Germain to European glory in 2025-26?

Paris Saint-Germain are the only team that can stop Liverpool winning the Champions League this season, Reds expert David Lynch has argued.

The Merseysiders began their European campaign last week on Wednesday, beating Atletico Madrid 3-2 at Anfield, with Virgil van Dijk netting a winner in second-half stoppage time.

In last season's competition, Liverpool were eliminated from Europe after losing on penalties against PSG in March, and the French side went on to win the competition.

Lynch insisted that PSG are the only team that will worry the Reds this term, when he told Sports Mole: "A lot of it's luck of the draw. At the end of the day, if they'd have won that penalty shootout against PSG, I think Liverpool would have won the Champions League last season. The only team that could possibly have beaten them was PSG.

"I go into this season thinking pretty similarly. We don't know exactly what this Liverpool team is going to be yet because it is settling down at the moment. We've not seen the best of some players, we've not really seen Isak yet, so we don't quite know the level.

"I look across Europe and the sides they might face, and who is going to stop them doing it? It looks like PSG, but maybe they won't have to face PSG, maybe they get knocked out at some point. If that's the case, I make Liverpool absolute favourites."

Chelsea did defeat the French side in the Club World Cup this past summer, so perhaps Liverpool should take confidence from the fact that PSG are beatable despite their formidable squad.

Does Arne Slot have to win the Champions League?

After spending more than £400m this summer, many fans and pundits have labelled Liverpool as favourites for the Premier League title.

Considering the Reds won the English top flight last term, some supporters have argued that the club should prioritise the Champions League, especially as their expenditure has strengthened the squad considerably.

Lynch insisted that Arne Slot should be looking to win the competition, telling Sports Mole: "You look at the business that Liverpool have done and the performances last season and where they are in the league and what they did last season - that that core of the team is still there. The aim has to be to win it.

"That's not to say that if they don't win the Champions League, they should be hugely disappointed, because this is the first year of this new-look side, but they've got every tool to go and win it. They've got every chance and they are made as favourites by the bookmakers. That gives you an indication of how highly rated this Liverpool side is.

Liverpool reached four European finals under previous boss Jurgen Klopp, winning the Champions League once, so Slot has plenty of work ahead of himself if he is to live up to his predecessor's record in UEFA competitions.

Could Alexander Isak be the difference maker for Liverpool?

When Liverpool faced PSG in the round of 16 in the first leg, they were fortunate to have taken a 1-0 lead given the French side squandered numerous opportunities in front of goal, particularly in the first half of the match.

The Reds somewhat improved in the second half, and they won 1-0 thanks to good work from striker Darwin Nunez to set up Harvey Elliott late on.

Speaking to Sports Mole, Lynch spoke of how newcomer Alexander Isak could be the difference maker like Nunez was, saying: "That's the thing that Liverpool lacked last season. In the PSG game at Anfield, they couldn't get the goal after they nicked one against PSG away from home at the death.

"In the away match, Nunez wins the ball, lays it down and he's crucial to the goal. As good as Nunez was, he couldn't consistently do that. If you had someone who has that physicality, they may bring more in terms of hold-up play and bringing others into it while also being a threat in behind and being consistently good in front of goal.

"Isak definitely is that, but Nunez never got it right. It's clear that the level of quality in that position has gone up massively. If Liverpool can get Isak on the pitch consistently, then you look at every other quality that they've got throughout the squad - who's going to be better than them this season. Maybe PSG, but outside of that, you do fancy Liverpool."

Nunez came on as a late substitute against PSG in the first leg, but he managed to help Liverpool threaten the Ligue 1 side's backline, and perhaps striker Isak will be able to have a similar impact in the Champions League from the start of matches this season.