PSG(h) Champions League Match thread

[LFC 6 Times]

Back amongst Europe’s elite, and for the first time in a long while feel like we genuinely belong there. Last season ride is something that will always live with me and encapsulated everything that is special and different about this club. 

Absolutely buzzing for this fixture, think it’s absolutely tailor made for us. PSG are a team of mercenary superstars who play against absolute rubble most weeks. In Mbappe, Cavani and Neymar they have one of the best attacking trios in world football. However, I think our intensity and the Anfield factor will completely negate that. I do not see PSG going toe to toe with us and I think we are going to completely boss them all over the pitch. They’re a shite club, Shite fans founded in 1974 and their players have no affinity to them. I’m going 3-0 to the reds.

[3 Stacks]

It's hard to predict this. I think we have the inherent advantage of being at Anfield and what that entails but they are one of the few sides that have the quality to outclass us.

I watch a lot of them and their games in Ligue 1 are not at all indicative of how they play in Europe. They rarely get out of second gear in the league but often in the group stages of the Champions League they up the intensity level.

This year they've been toying with 3 at the back and that's what Tuchel wants to implement. He's also gone back to a 4-3-3/4-2-3-1 when they've been struggling which is what they've been playing since Laurent Blanc was there so the players are comfortable with that. 

If I was to guess, I think they will play a back 4 with Marquinhos in holding midfield along with Rabiot and one of Di Maria or Draxler as Verratti is suspended. Marquinhos as a midfielder is something new that Tuchel has tried.

Few things to worry about:

-Areola is in good form and looks very confident at the moment (although I remember him being dreadful at Anfield when he was at Villareal so maybe that will play on his mind) 

-Their front 3 is the only one in the world that I think is stronger than ours. Neymar - Cavani - Mbappe are freakishly good and they have developed good chemistry after some initial bumps in the road

-Rabiot is a big-game player. He ups his game against the big teams without fail.

Two encouraging things:

-In terms of their organisation, they give up lots of chances and besides Kimpembe who is an absolute stud, they haven't seemed to fully grasp how to set up defensively under Tuchel. Even though they won 4-0 against Saint-Etienne friday they gave up many chances and before that they were really given a scare by Nimes. So I don't think they are solid structurally. As I said, what they do in France isn't really indicative of their European performances, but they are not convincing in their organisation yet and that's something that's hard to just switch on.

-Their full backs are pretty bad defensively, especially Bernat who is very slow. They even played Di Maria at wing back in one game where they were playing a back 3 and he was predictably atrocious there so their wide defenders are pretty major weak points. Meunier is also pretty poor at the back even though he's a very good attacker. 

All in all, despite how solid we've been defensively this season I can see a high scoring draw. You never know with the Anfield advantage and given their relative frailty defensively we could very well rip them to shreds, but I'll go with 2-2.  

 

[Paul]

3 hours ago, 3 Stacks said:

It's hard to predict this. I think we have the inherent advantage of being at Anfield and what that entails but they are one of the few sides that have the quality to outclass us.

I watch a lot of them and their games in Ligue 1 are not at all indicative of how they play in Europe. They rarely get out of second gear in the league but often in the group stages of the Champions League they up the intensity level.

This year they've been toying with 3 at the back and that's what Tuchel wants to implement. He's also gone back to a 4-3-3/4-2-3-1 when they've been struggling which is what they've been playing since Laurent Blanc was there so the players are comfortable with that. 

If I was to guess, I think they will play a back 4 with Marquinhos in holding midfield along with Rabiot and one of Di Maria or Draxler as Verratti is suspended. Marquinhos as a midfielder is something new that Tuchel has tried.

Few things to worry about:

-Areola is in good form and looks very confident at the moment (although I remember him being dreadful at Anfield when he was at Villareal so maybe that will play on his mind) 

-Their front 3 is the only one in the world that I think is stronger than ours. Neymar - Cavani - Mbappe are freakishly good and they have developed good chemistry after some initial bumps in the road

-Rabiot is a big-game player. He ups his game against the big teams without fail.

Two encouraging things:

-In terms of their organisation, they give up lots of chances and besides Kimpembe who is an absolute stud, they haven't seemed to fully grasp how to set up defensively under Tuchel. Even though they won 4-0 against Saint-Etienne friday they gave up many chances and before that they were really given a scare by Nimes. So I don't think they are solid structurally. As I said, what they do in France isn't really indicative of their European performances, but they are not convincing in their organisation yet and that's something that's hard to just switch on.

-Their full backs are pretty bad defensively, especially Bernat who is very slow. They even played Di Maria at wing back in one game where they were playing a back 3 and he was predictably atrocious there so their wide defenders are pretty major weak points. Meunier is also pretty poor at the back even though he's a very good attacker. 

All in all, despite how solid we've been defensively this season I can see a high scoring draw. You never know with the Anfield advantage and given their relative frailty defensively we could very well rip them to shreds, but I'll go with 2-2.  

 

Areola? He’s a tit. 

[ZonkoVille77]

This could be a very tough game for us. They will keep our back line busy for 90 mins so our midfield and forwards need to be on their game. We've seen nothing coherent from our front 3 at all yet this season so may struggle to get goals. 

I'm calling a cautious draw. 4-4

[Numero Veinticinco]

I’m very excited by this one. 

[Jairzinho]

2 hours ago, Paul said:

Areola? He’s a tit. 

He's not a complete tit, to be fair.

[Kevin D]

Seems like ages since we last played at Anfield.

Got a ticket and I'm looking forward to seeing the old gang again. Potse, Ralph Malph, the Fonz.

[Carvalho Diablo]

Let's blast them with bricks and beer cans and spunk.

[Pidge]

Big test this. Good practice for Chelsea though in a way.  Shut these down and we should be set for Hazard.

[Carvalho Diablo]

4 minutes ago, Pidge said:

Big test this. Good practice for Chelsea though in a way.  Shut these down and we should be set for Hazard.

Don't wish to hijack this thread but I still don't see it from Chelsea. Hazard is class but their defence is shite, their goalie looks dodgy, just not convincing me.

Just an easy run of fixtures to start their season imo.

[Captain Turdseye]

Any chance of Rabiot banging in an all-time great own goal, seeing as he’s a red and all?

 

3-1 Liverpool. One each for Mane, Firmino and Salah. 4-1 if Rabiot steps up to the plate. 

[Trumo]

Do all of the shit we're good at, none of the shit we're bad at, and don't let PSG do any of the shit they are good at.

[Pidge]

58 minutes ago, Carvalho Diablo said:

Don't wish to hijack this thread but I still don't see it from Chelsea. Hazard is class but their defence is shite, their goalie looks dodgy, just not convincing me.

Just an easy run of fixtures to start their season imo.

I think you're probably right over the long haul, but - when he's on his game - Hazard is one of those players who can just take the pressure off his team.

[Oh Buoy]

Gomez to break Neymar in half. 

[aws]

5-2 chasing for them.   

[Paul]

5 hours ago, Jairzinho said:

He's not a complete tit, to be fair.

Fair enough. He's a bit of a tit.

[Aventus]

I reckon this is where we start to see our season massively take off. 

I've had the impression that it hasn't quite clicked for our front three so far for whatever reason, but there's nothing like a European night at Anfield to ignite the fire in their bellies.

It wasn't until the champions league games last year where we started to look properly dangerous, especially Salah who found his shooting boots around the beginning of the group stage. 

We're gonna dry bum these senseless, and the tears will only act as a lube to make future bummings of other teams smoother. 

 

[Creator Supreme]

0-12, 6 for Neymar, 6 for Mbappe.

[an tha]

I fucking despise PSG.

Dick these please, Reds....bum them dead dead fucking hard 

 

[Babb'sBurstNad]

The perfect opportunity to tap up Rabiot.

[niallers]

20 minutes ago, Creator Supreme said:

0-12, 6 for Neymar, 6 for Mbappe.

Would that be a twelvety nil to the cheese eating surrender monkeys?

[Aventus]

14 minutes ago, Creator Supreme said:

0-12, 6 for Neymar, 6 for Mbappe.

That's a lot of own goals. 

[Grinch]

When’s Firmino’s availability likely to be known?  Really need proper cover for the front three cause it’s no exaggeration to say our season would be wrote off without him if he went down long term.

Thank fuck it looks positive.

[Numero Veinticinco]

1 minute ago, Grinch said:

When’s Firmino’s availability likely to be known?  Really need proper cover for the front three cause it’s no exaggeration to say our season would be wrote off without him if he went down long term.

Thank fuck it looks positive.

I think it is quite an exaggeration, to be honest. We would play Mo centrally and have Shaq playing. 

I agree we need players. I’d like Werner. 

[Grinch]

2 minutes ago, Numero Veinticinco said:

I think it is quite an exaggeration, to be honest. We would play Mo centrally and have Shaq playing. 

I agree we need players. I’d like Werner. 

I’ve not seen enough of Shaqiri for us, well no one as obviously.  Hopefully we stop wasting minutes on the semi retired Sturridge and get him on the field more often soon.

The stocky wee fucker is difinitely a wild card but he’s no Bobby and never will be.  Firmino is irreplaceable in my eyes.