Preview: Liverpool vs Paris Saint-Germain - prediction, team news, lineups

Needing to channel the spirits of their 2018-19 remontada heroes, Liverpool welcome Paris Saint-Germain to a raucous Anfield for the second leg of their Champions League quarter-final on Tuesday night.

Arne Slot oversaw a 2-0 defeat to the European champions in last week's opening encounter, although the outcome could have been much more disastrous for the Reds, who are not down and out just yet.

Match preview

The first-leg script was followed to a tee in terms of the full-time result, despite Slot springing a surprise with a defence-heavy 3-5-2 setup, one in which there was no room for soon-to-be ex-Liverpool player Mohamed Salah.

On what may have been his final European away day in a Reds shirt, the Egyptian watched on helplessly as Desire Doue and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia propelled PSG to a 2-0 triumph, although the holders did not make a complete mockery of Slot's tactical tinkering.

Liverpool's 0.17 Expected Goals at the Parc des Princes may have been their lowest in a match under Slot so far, but the Premier League champions could - and maybe should - have lost by three or four goals, whereas a 2-0 deficit is far from insurmountable.

The Anfield factor made the difference in Liverpool's 4-0 comeback triumph over Barcelona in the semi-finals seven years ago, and Slot's men ended their three-game losing run at the ideal time on Saturday, deservedly conquering Fulham 2-0 in the Premier League.

Success over the Cottagers marked Liverpool's fourth win from their last five matches at Anfield, during which time they have gone unbeaten and found the back of the net an eye-catching 15 times, offering fleeting hope of a tremendous turnaround.

Blessed with a football-free weekend ahead of Tuesday's return fixture, PSG were due to face Ligue 1 title challengers Lens either side of their Liverpool clashes, but the authorities granted their request to postpone the match.

Lens' protests fell on deaf ears at the Ligue de Football Professionel, who are doing their utmost to help Luis Enrique's men keep their hands on the Champions League trophy, and they already have one foot firmly in the semi-finals.

Victory in Paris last week marked a fifth win on the spin for Les Parisiens, who have not been the same all-conquering force from 2024-25, but a league and Champions League double remains in reach as the season approaches its business end.

Also making light work of recent foes on the road, PSG boast four victories from their last four away games - keeping clean sheets in each of their last three - while also scoring in every game on their travels since the turn of the year.

Enrique also masterminded a 1-0 triumph at Anfield in last year's last-16 second leg before his side prevailed on penalties, but even defeat by the same scoreline on Tuesday would be enough to book a heavyweight semi-final date with Real Madrid or Bayern Munich.

Liverpool Champions League form:

Liverpool form (all competitions):

Paris Saint-Germain Champions League form:

Paris Saint-Germain form (all competitions):

Team News

Liverpool's victory over Fulham on Saturday was not without sacrifice, as Curtis Jones came off at half time due to a groin injury, and Slot has admitted that the Englishman is almost certain to miss the second leg.

Jones joins Alisson Becker (unspecified), Wataru Endo (ankle), Giovanni Leoni (ACL) and Conor Bradley (knee) in the Liverpool treatment room, but Slot should otherwise be working with an identical squad from the Fulham victory, in which Rio Ngumoha became the Reds' youngest-ever Premier League scorer at Anfield.

The 17-year-old - who broke Raheem Sterling's record on Saturday - would be the first name on the teamsheet for the second leg if Liverpool fans were in charge, and he probably has done enough to earn a starting role in this crunch clash.

Meanwhile, PSG came out of the 2-0 first-leg win unscathed on the fitness front, and having been granted a complete rest at the weekend, there are no new concerns for Enrique to work around.

The holders could even welcome Bradley Barcola back to the squad from his ankle problem; the Frenchman had returned to full training before the first leg, but that fixture came slightly too early for him.

Fabian Ruiz (knee) remains on the sidelines, though, while Kvaratskhelia and Salah's nemesis Nuno Mendes will miss the first leg of any potential semi-final if they pick up a yellow card on Merseyside.

Liverpool possible starting lineup:

Mamardashvili; Szoboszlai, Konate, Van Dijk, Kerkez; Gravenberch, Mac Allister; Salah, Wirtz, Ngumoha; Ekitike

Paris Saint-Germain possible starting lineup:

Safonov; Hakimi, Marquinhos, Pacho, Mendes; Zaire-Emery, Vitinha, Neves; Doue, Dembele, Kvaratskhelia

We say: Liverpool 1-2 Paris Saint-Germain (PSG win 4-1 on aggregate)

Anything can happen on Champions League evenings at Anfield, but PSG knocked down the walls of Liverpool's fortress last year and arrive in much better shape, both fitness and form-wise.

As such, we cannot envisage any scenario in which the champions do not progress to the semi-finals, as Salah, Andrew Robertson and potentially Slot represent Liverpool in Europe for the last time.

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.