As last week’s first leg of the Liverpool vs Paris Saint-Germain UCL tie showed us, football can be a very funny game. PSG dominated, on their home field, registering 27 shots and holding a massive edge in possession.
However, they scored zero goals, and that is the only statistic that matters.
Liverpool FC vs Paris Saint-Germain FYIs
Competition: UEFA Champions League round of 16, Leg 2/2
Aggregate: Liverpool leads 1-0
Kickoff: Tue. March 11, 8pm, Anfield, Liverpool, UK
Preview Material for Both Sides: Starting XI Predictions Team News
Google Result Probability: Paris Saint-Germain 33% Extra Time 24% Liverpool 43%
You can own every statistic in official match book, but overall, in the end, all that matters is who scored more goals. Just saying the obvious here, and it’s extremely cliche, to say the least.
However, this is just how it goes sometimes. Liverpool have to feel extremely fortunate about getting away with one last weekend. Now they have the home field advantage, as they look to close the deal on this tie, and move on to the UCL quarterfinals.
Starting XI Predictions
Paris Saint-Germain
Gigi Donnarumma; Achraf Hakimi, Marquinhos, Willian Pacho, Nuno Mendes, Neves, Vitinha, Fabian Ruiz, Ousmane Dembele, Goncalo Ramos, Bradley Barcola.
Liverpool FC
Alisson; Trent Alexander-Arnold, Ibrahima Konate, Virgil van Dijk, Andy Robertson; Ryan Gravenberch, Alexis Mac Allister, Dominic Szoboszlai; Mo Salah, Diogo Jota, Luiz Diaz
Paul M. Banks is the Founding Editor of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He currently contributes to USA Today’s NFL Wires Network, the Internet Baseball Writers Association of America and RG. His past bylines include the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. His work has been featured in numerous outlets, including the Wall Street Journal, Forbes, the Washington Post and ESPN. You can follow him on Linked In and Twitter.