Ahead of the massive UEFA Champions League group stage fixture against Paris Saint-Germain, Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp says his side, when they are at their best, “are really not so nice to play against.” (Kind of like what he said about his side’s record start in the Premier League: “it’s nice.”) Klopp made these remarks yesterday at his pre-UCL press conference, in which he also said his side needs to be “brave” in a “very difficult” game.
Liverpool went all the way to the title game, where they fell to Real Madrid, in this competition last season, but anything less than a win at the Parc des Princes tonight could put their current European campaign in peril. Their opponents are also feeling the pressure to win, as PSG are also not on solid footing when it comes to advancing to the UCL knockout round.
“How are we going to play? We are going to be brave in a very difficult game. We enjoy these games,” said Klopp.
“We enjoyed it against Manchester City and we enjoyed the first PSG game, even though it is unbelievably difficult. But when we are at our best, we are really not so nice to play against.”
“We want to be as good as possible. It’s a tough one to come to Paris for a result, but we are here, so let’s try.”
Liverpool won the reverse fixture of this match 3-2 at Anfield, so Jurgen Klopp knows his side can beat PSG and their big name, big money talent. The German adds that his side won’t be phased by the return of Neymar and Kylian Mbappe, who are now at full fitness, having recovered from knocks suffered over the international break.
“It’s much more difficult to prepare when my players don’t know their opponents, but this generation will have watched 5,000 YouTube videos of Neymar and Mbappe, so there will be no surprises for my players,” he added.
“When they have the ball, with the speed of them, they are away from you if you are not compact. But I believe 100 per cent in our group. I have no clue how it could go, but this is two very ambitious teams in an interesting situation in the group.”
“From the beginning, this group was always a difficult one and now we are here. We played in Belgrade and it was a really bad one, but we are here to win a football game.
“We haven’t moaned about it and now we are here in Paris.”
Liverpool FC vs Paris Saint-Germain FYIs
Kick-off: 8pm (BST), Wednesday November 28, Parc des Princes, Paris, France
TV: BT Sport
Odds via Betfair: Liverpool FC – 21/10, Paris Saint-Germain – 6/5, Draw – 14/5
Injury report, team news: go to this link
Prediction: Liverpool FC 3, Paris Saint-Germain 3
Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank.net, which is partnered with News Now. Banks, a former writer for NBC Chicago.com and Chicago Tribune.com, regularly appears as a guest pundit on WGN CLTV and co-hosts the “Let’s Get Weird, Sports” podcast on SB Nation.
He also contributes sociopolitical essays to Lineups.com and Chicago Now. Follow him on Twitter and Instagram. The content of his cat’s Instagram account is unquestionably superior to his.