It’s the first round of the Champions League 2018/2019 season and this Tuesday we’re gonna see plenty of entertaining duels. One that stands out is the clash between the last season’s runner-ups, Liverpool and one of the biggest title contenders, PSG. Who will win this? Find out in the Liverpool vs PSG match preview!
Liverpool
The Reds haven’t been this strong in years. They have at least one fantastic player for every position, including those at the back. This is a great improvement in relation to previous seasons, in which Liverpool’s Achilles’ heel was their defense. But, now they seem super-tough to beat.
Alisson, one of the world’s best goalkeepers is a Liverpool player who’s signed this summer, while in front of him there are a couple of really good defenders. Virgil van Dijk is a real master of aerial duels, while his center-back partner, Joe Gomez, is very fast and agile. This means that even such a powerful attack as the one of PSG will probably struggle finding the net against Liverpool.
This goes especially for the matches played at the Anfield, where Liverpool have always been sensational. This team hasn’t lost a single home game in the Champions League since 2014. Furthermore, they were without a single defeat at the Anfield for the entire 2017/2018 season of the Premier League.
And the final reason why Liverpool fans have every right to be hopeful ahead of the clash with PSG is that this team has been playing great lately. Actually, they have all wins in the Premier League in the new season, with a really impressive goal difference of 11:2 after five rounds. Last weekend, they beat Tottenham 2:1, which is bound to give their players the moral boost they need ahead of the PSG clash.
PSG
PSG are undisputed rulers of the French Ligue 1, but they haven’t been that great on Euro stage. The management of this club has invested huge sums of money in order to create a team that wins titles, but they’re yet to seriously challenge the Champions League trophy.
PSG have arguably the best attack on the planet, with the world’s most expensive player Neymar, FIFA World Cup winner Mbappe, and Cavani who’s been the top Ligue 1 scorer for the last two consecutive seasons.
They’ve shown their attacking power this season by scoring a total of 17 goals in Ligue 1 this season, in which only five rounds have passed. Neymar and Mbappe have scored four each, while Cavani has one goal less to his name.
The biggest problem with PSG this season has been their midfield. They’re just not good enough at game management, which is why they’ve been allowing goals against some teams they weren’t supposed to. The main reason why this is the case is that their key midfielder Verratti was injured for a while. But, he’s back now, which can give the entire team a big boost.
Team News
Liverpool absentees:
- Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain (injury)
- Dejan Lovred (injury)
- Adam Lallana (injury)
- Roberto Firmino (doubtful)
PSG absentees:
- Dani Alves (injury)
- Layvin Kurzawa (injury)
- Thiago Silva (injury)
Possible Lineups
Liverpool
Alisson – Gomez, van Dijk, Robertson, Alexander-Arnold – Henderson, Keita, Milner – Mane, Salah, Firmino
PSG
Areola – Kimpembe, Marquinhos, Meunier, Dagba – Veratti, Rabiot, Di María – Mbappe, Neymar, Cavani
Liverpool vs PSG Match Prediction
Both sides are great at goal scoring, but at the same time, they’re not too great at game management. This means that we’re probably going to see lots of goal attempts on both sides, and knowing how good the attackers of both teams are, I think many of those chances will be utilized.
Liverpool vs PSG Betting Tips
- BTS @1.40 (bet365)
- Over 2.5 Goals @1.48 (Unibet)