Digging Deep: 3 Ways Liverpool Can Earn a Shock Result in Paris

Liverpool face a challenge traveling to Paris to take on PSG in the first leg of a Champions League tie tomorrow, on April 8th. Captain Virgil van Dijk has caused a stir with his comments after the 4-0 loss to Man City, so now the Reds have two choices: they can show a good response and save the season, or they can continue in this current downward spiral and have to rebuild next season.

Here are three reasons to believe the Reds can not only play with but also topple the French giants.

They’ve Done Before

Liverpool pulled off a shock win at the Parc Des Princes last season when Harvey Elliott scored the game-winner in the 85th minute. The Reds have also won the European Cup six times, some after famous comebacks and one in a season when they finished 37 points behind the Premier League champions, which gives the Reds plenty of tangible history to draw on.

“The answer lies in the history of Liverpool,”  Arne Slot said. “In tough moments, they stand up again. We've had a lot of tough moments, stood up a few times, then fallen down again. We have to show that mentality again to keep going and keep picking yourself up after disappointment.”

The City Game

Many people will point to the last result as a reason Liverpool can’t win, but if you look deeper, the exact opposite is the case. For 35 minutes, they played right with and even better than City. Many early chances went by the boards. If they can bottle that strong play for 90 minutes, they have every chance to win. If they have another poor spell of about 20 minutes or so, it could be 4-0 again.

Get Defensive

Hopefully, Arne Slot learned his lesson and will put his best defenders in the back. That means Domonik Szoboszlai at Right Back and  Andy Robertson on the left. PSG is another team that plays very open, so you need defenders who can close down those spaces. I know he wants to play Szoboszlai more forward in his natural position, but we have many capable midfielders and not a ton of experience at right back to stop the attacking prowess of PSG.

LFC Globe Verdict

While I think the Reds would have more success with Szoboszlai in the back, this is the likely lineup, below. They don’t necessarily have to beat PSG, but a draw would give them the advantage going to Anfield for the second leg. The first 30 minutes are key. That should give supporters a clue as to whether we are going to be competitive or if it will be another long night. 

Have Your Say

Do you think the Reds stand a chance or will they be sent back across the channel with a big deficit to make up? Who would you start? Let us know below.

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