Liverpool boss Arne Slot has confirmed a late decision will be made on Cody Gakpo ahead of the last-16 Champions League game with PSG.
Gakpo was not involved in the Liverpool training session on Tuesday, despite being pictured at the AXA Training Centre. His absence raised fears that he could miss the first leg with PSG but he was named in the 24-man squad a few hours later.
The Dutchman picked up a knock in the Merseyside derby draw with Everton on Feb. 22 and sat out the victory over Wolves and the draw with Aston Villa a few days later.
Slot has been managing his minutes since then too, with Gakpo only appearing as a substitute in the wins over Manchester City and Newcastle.
Speaking in his pre-match press conference, Slot said: “He was close to being ready to play again but he felt a bit of pain after blocking a shot in training. We brought him with us and will make a decision tomorrow on if he can be involved. It will be a close call.”
Diogo Jota started the victory over Newcastle last time out while Slot went with Mohamed Salah and Luis Diaz as split strikers at the Etihad. He has several options for the first leg in Paris but admits his side faces a difficult encounter.
Liverpool topped the Champions League group stage while PSG ended up in 15th. But Luis Enrique’s side has already beaten City this season and is yet to taste defeat domestically.
Slot said on the challenge that awaits his side: “PSG is one of the strongest teams in Europe – and I think everyone agrees, but that can happen in the old format too.
“We could only face PSG or Benfica and anyone who watches football knows we would probably have preferred to face Benfica. If you play for Liverpool, you want to play in the big games. We have to accept the draw and both teams has a tough fixture.”
“It is a great fixture to look forward to. Both teams have scored a lot of goals, like to have the ball. There are a lot of similarities. Both teams have attackers in great form, scoring a lot of goals. This team was in the semi-finals last season and in my opinion, this team is even better.”
