How PSG and Liverpool can decide the outcome of the match: scenarios for the development of the game on April 8

Last season of the Champions League, PSG had to play in the joints with the French team, which they managed to pass without any problems (10:0 with Brest in the sum of two matches). Before the victorious final, the Parisians met only with English clubs, passing Liverpool (1:1 on aggregate, 4:1 on penalties), Aston Villa (5:4) and Arsenal (3:1).

In the 2025/26 season, Luis Enrique's team also went through the French club represented by Monaco in the play-off matches (5:4) and defeated the English Chelsea in the 1/8 finals (8:2). Now the Merseysiders are back in the way of the Parisians, who are eager to take revenge for their defeat last year. How PSG will play, what problems Liverpool have and what can help Arne Slot get to the quarterfinals of the Champions League — in the Izvestia article.

The teams' path to the quarterfinals

PSG paid tribute to the championship season and, just like last year, did not get into the top eight of the Champions League. Having taken 11th place in the tournament table, Luis Enrique's team did not get directly into the 1/8 finals, but the start turned out to be enchanting: the defeat of Atalanta (4:0), a strong-willed victory at Camp Nou over Barcelona (2:1) and a crazy match with Bayer Leverkusen (7:2), where the teams ended the meeting with ten. Vitigny's winning hat-trick against Tottenham stands out (5-3).

PSG was defeated by Bayern Munich (1:2) and Sporting (1:2). Parisians also lost points in the match against Athletic (0-0), and the decisive moment came in the last round. Before the finish, the team was in the top 8, but a 1-1 home draw with Newcastle dropped it to 11th place.

The Scouts were more successful in the group stage, taking third place in the overall table. Arne Slot's team started with a strong-willed victory over Atletico (3:2) thanks to Virgil van Dijk's goal in stoppage time, and then defeated Eintracht on the road (5:1). A minimal but fundamental victory over Real Madrid (1-0) in November stands out.

Despite two defeats — at home from PSV (1-4) and away from Galatasaray (1-2), Liverpool remained calm and completed the stage powerfully. Qarabag was defeated 6-0 in the final round at Anfield. In the 1/8 finals, Liverpool went through the same Galatasaray with a total score of 4:1.

Promoted to the Cup: the clubs will play three semi-finals of the tournament

Zenit will host Spartak, Dynamo will face Krasnodar, CSKA will compete with Krylia Sovetov

PSG and Liverpool uniforms

In the last five matches of the French championship, PSG have scored four victories, demonstrating their trademark attacking power. This series began with a 3-0 defeat of Metz, followed by victories over Le Havre (1-0) and Toulouse (3-1). They also beat Nice 4-0 on the field of the Allianz Riviera stadium. The only misfire during this period occurred in the match against Monaco, which ended in a 1-1 defeat.:3. Thanks to these results, Luis Enrique's team takes the first place in the standings, scoring 60 points after 26 matches.

Unlike Liverpool, Parisians continue to dominate France, but his game is not devoid of nuances. Despite the first place in the league, Parisians do not always manage to show their best football, and in some matches the team experiences unexpected difficulties. Nevertheless, PSG is capable of improving in key Champions League matches, which was demonstrated in the bright victory over Chelsea in the 1/8 finals, where the team responded to all the criticism of recent weeks.

As for the current champion of England, Arne Slot's team has managed to win only one victory, suffered two defeats and drew twice in the last five domestic matches. Liverpool lost to Wolverhampton (1-2), lost to Tottenham (1-1) and lost to Brighton (1-2). The only victory was won over the same Wolverhampton (1:3). Things are no better in cup tournaments: in the quarter-finals of the FA Cup, the Reds suffered a crushing defeat from Manchester City with a score of 0:4 and were eliminated from the tournament.

The team is experiencing the "second season syndrome" under the leadership of Arne Slot. The key problem is trying to find a balance between the legacy of Jurgen Klopp and the new demands of the coach, as a result of which the team has become more controlling but less dangerous in attack. Liverpool began to put less pressure on him, which is why he lost the unpredictability that made him the terror of Europe. Former Manchester United midfielder Roy Keane was even more direct in his criticism, saying that "the reigning champions have been really bad all season."

One of them all: Safonov in the 1/4 finals of the Champions League, Khaykin flew out with a personal best

Matvey made the second "cracker" and remained the only Russian in the main European cup, Nikita missed five, but beat Courtois' achievement.

Match scenario, game forecast

To play against such a formidable opponent as PSG, the Scousers need to regain the defensive resilience they demonstrated in the best matches of this European Cup season — against Real Madrid, Inter or Marseille. The crushing defeat by Manchester City at the Etihad revealed a chronic problem: Arne Slot's team loses concentration after standard positions and face-offs, forgets to block shots and track running players. Therefore, the key task will be to restore the "basic principles": compactness in a low block or, conversely, high pressure without gaps between the lines.

In the match against PSG, whose forwards are capable of working wonders at speed, you can not leave them free zones. Slot has already successfully applied this strategy against Real Madrid, explaining that the long passes of Vinicius and Mbappe become deadly precisely when there is space. Therefore, Liverpool either need to meet the opponent extremely high, not allowing them to leave the defense, or deliberately sit in a low block, as it was a year ago at the Parc des Princes (then the team survived thanks to 27 PSG strikes and Alisson's saves, leaving with a minimal victory).

However, repeating that scenario now, without self-confidence, can lead to defeat. Therefore, it is vital for Liverpool not only to defend, but also to create a threat themselves. The first 35 minutes of the meeting with City showed that the 4-2-2-2 scheme with Florian Wirtz's active shifts is capable of freeing up space and launching counterattacks. But these moments need to be used more coolly than they have been for most of the season. The midfield in the person of Jones, Gravenberch and Soboslai should act more aggressively in counterpressing, preventing PSG from accelerating fast transitions.

Come in Spanish: how Spartak beat Loko, and Cordoba scored the most important goal

What did the fans and experts remember about the 23rd round of the Russian Premier League

PSG, in turn, will have possession of the ball most of the time, press hard and try to pin Liverpool at his penalty area. Luis Enrique will probably choose a scheme with a mobile attacking triangle, where Vitinha and Douai will switch positions, and the flank defenders will constantly connect to create a numerical advantage. The key duel will be the confrontation of the PSG left—back (for example, Nuno Mendes) against the Liverpool right winger - if the Slot releases Salah, then the Parisians will need to insure the zone behind their backs.

Liverpool, aware of their problems, can choose a diamond-shaped 4-2-2-2 or even 5-3-2 midfield to compact the center and force PSG to hit from afar. Arne Slot is likely to set up either super-aggressive pressure in the first 20 minutes (as he did against City) to try to steal a goal, or deliberately abandon the ball and play counterattacks with long passes to Ekitika and Wirtz.

In any case, the pattern of the match will be determined by whether Liverpool can hold out for the first half hour without conceding a goal and prevent those "defensive lapses" after the throw-ins and losses that cost them the defeat by City. If PSG score a quick goal, Liverpool can psychologically crumble, and then the Parisians will repeat their success against Chelsea, scoring 4-5 goals due to counterattacks in free space.

Agency injections: Russian clubs have increased spending on intermediaries by 1 billion

What is wrong with this system, according to experts

The outcome of the match will be decided by which of the teams is better able to cope with its main task.: For PSG— it means composure and realization with total dominance, for Liverpool, it means iron discipline and willingness to endure a barrage of attacks in order to deliver one accurate blow. The match will take place on April 8 at 22:00 Moscow time on the field of the Parc de France stadium.

All important news is on the Izvestia channel in the MAX messenger.