Slot Talk: PSG Indicative of the Quality in the Round of 16

Arne Slot, Manger of Liverpool, looks on, during a pitch inspection prior to the Premier League match between Aston Villa FC and Liverpool FC at Villa Park on February 19, 2025 in Birmingham, England. | Photo by Dan Istitene/Getty Images

The Reds face the form team of Europe, but the boss is unperturbed

Liverpool got the tougher of the two options in the draw for the UEFA Champions League Round of 16 in Paris Saint Germain, but head coach Arne Slot did not bemoan his side’s circumstances:

At this stage of the competition, the quality of opponent is only going to be of a very high standard and in PSG we have drawn a team and a club with real European pedigree.

They qualified for the last 16 of the Champions League in style earlier this week with a big win against Brest and they had some really good results in the league phase, defeating Stuttgart, Manchester City, Girona, and Salzburg.

As is the case with ourselves, PSG are top of their domestic league and are enjoying a long unbeaten run. This tells us all that we need to know about the challenge that we will face but it is also a challenge that we will look forward to, knowing that we also fully deserve to be in the last 16.

Of course, our immediate focus is on our upcoming Premier League fixtures, starting with Manchester City on Sunday, but we will be doing everything we can to ensure that we are in the best possible shape when the Champions League resumes.

Slot will look to balance a slight increase in squad injury concerns, particularly at the back, and a downturn in form, particularly in front of goal, to continue fighting in all three competitions.

In giving PSG their due respect, Slot also reminds us of Liverpool’s quality: if both sides deserve to be in the Round of 16, certainly Liverpool are something for PSG to fear as well.

Source: liverpooloffside.sbnation.com