Liverpool braced for challenging Champions League clash against PSG, asserts Arne Slot

Liverpool’s manager, Arne Slot, has hailed Paris St Germain as one of Europe’s premier teams in the lead-up to their eagerly awaited Champions League last-16 first leg in France on Wednesday.

The Premier League frontrunners, who topped their Champions League group during the new eight-match league phase, head to a confident PSG with the aim of inflicting a first defeat on the French champions since November.

Slot expressed that Liverpool needs to relish these high-stakes encounters and is eager to pit his side against a team that plays a similar style.

“We only had the option of PSG or Benfica, and anyone who follows football knows that we would likely have preferred Benfica,” Slot told journalists on Tuesday.

“When you play for Liverpool, you yearn for the big matches. We must accept this draw, and both teams are facing a formidable challenge.

“PSG is undeniably one of the strongest teams in Europe, and I believe everyone concurs with that. This matchup could easily hold its own in the traditional format.

“It’s an exciting fixture to anticipate. Both sides have a penchant for scoring and controlling the game. There are numerous similarities between us.”

With his side preparing to face Southampton in the Premier League on Saturday, Slot remained unfazed by the accolades from his PSG counterpart, Luis Enrique, who previously deemed Liverpool one of the continent’s elite.

“My focus isn’t on those remarks. My attention is solely on PSG, then Southampton, followed by the second leg,” he remarked.

“It’s a nice compliment, but the title of the best team in Europe is reserved for the Champions League winners. We’re quite a distance from that point, facing a challenging match tomorrow, and if we progress, the next stages of the competition.”

Moreover, the 46-year-old coach lauded the Spanish manager as well as PSG’s top scorer Ousmane Dembele, who has found the net 26 times in 33 appearances this season.

“Luis Enrique has achieved a great deal here. He has moulded a team that I assume he is pleased with, both in terms of individual talent and collective performance,” Slot noted.

“(Dembele) adds significant quality to the squad. Both teams feature attackers in outstanding form, consistently scoring. This side reached the semi-finals last season, and in my opinion, they are even stronger now.”