Liverpool vs Paris Saint-Germain was one of the standout ties to come out of the Champions League last 16 draw, and the first leg is finally upon us.
The Reds are the favorites to progress by virtue of their form over the course of the season, but PSG has not lost since a narrow defeat away to Bayern Munich last November, and looks to be benefitting from its decision to scrap its Galactico transfer policy in recent times.
Just a few seasons ago, PSG was lining up with a front three of Kylian Mbappe, Neymar and Lionel Messi, but the team simply couldn’t afford to indulge all three of them.
Under manager Luis Enrique, though, with a younger squad including plenty of lesser-known players, PSG has looked like a much more complete team and there are some people who are tipping the French champion to eliminate Liverpool.
Ahead of the game, French football pundit Pierre Menes named four PSG players who have “completely transformed” Enrique’s exciting young team and could be key to its chances against Liverpool..
“One obvious factor is the team’s current form,” Menes said on his YouTube channel, Pierrot Le Foot, when assessing PSG’s chances of getting the better of Liverpool over two legs. “At the start of the season, we can’t forget that Luis Enrique didn’t call up [Ousmane] Dembele for the Arsenal match, Barcola was struggling, [Fabian] Ruiz wasn’t making progress, Joao Neves had just joined… and most importantly, Desire Doue was still adjusting.
“Now, though, Doue is thriving, and Dembele has been an incredible revelation as a center-forward. [Bradley] Barcola has regained his effectiveness, and Ruiz is almost playing at the same level he does with Spain.
“Just those four players have completely transformed the team. Aside from some occasional dips in form, I don’t see any reason why PSG would slip again.”
