Ahead of Liverpool’s opening Champions League group game against Paris Saint Germain, I spoke to four huge Reds fans; Ben Kelly, Jay Riley, Karl Thyer and Chris Williams to get their thoughts on the mouth-watering clash.
How excited are you to see such a big clash so early in the season?
Ben: Very excited. It’s rare we get games of such magnitude so early on in European competitions, so this is a treat for all of Europe, as well as just ourselves. What I’m excited about most is the fact that it’s another chance to test ourselves against one of the European big boys and gauge where we are in comparison to them (you can’t really draw any conclusions from the final in Kiev given the circumstances).
Jay: It was inevitable we would get a fairly tough group due to us being in Pot 3, but no team should bother us, this Liverpool side is fearless. It’ll hopefully be a good thing putting down a marker if we can beat the top seeds in our group. I’m expecting a quality game against PSG.
Karl: This is what it’s all about, this is why a lot of us are here, for nights like these. I’ve always maintained if you want to be the best you need to beat the best, we should embrace it rather than fear it.
Chris: Normally I’d say I’m not excited at all, I’d prefer a side that Liverpool could put to bed easily at home and just get three points on the board – however, with the start to the season being our best for 17 years then maybe it’s the right time to take on our first real challenge of the season. I’ll tell you at 9:55pm on Tuesday how happy I actually am!
The Reds haven’t been at their fluent best in an attacking sense this season, do you think they’ll be able to defeat PSG if they play in the same manner?
Ben: To be honest, yes. These may be famous last words, but the defence feels so solid at the moment, gone are the days where we have to score five or six to be guaranteed a win. We could just score two and I’d be pretty confident that that would mean a win for us. Having said that, I’d obviously have no issue if we showed more going forward!
Jay: I feel this Liverpool side can beat any team, anywhere, whether it be at Anfield or away from home. PSG have a great forward line but Liverpool are a better team, in my opinion. We have shown different ways to win already this season and we are capable of doing it to the French Champions too, but I am anticipating a goal fest for this game.
Karl: It would be difficult if we don’t hit top gear, but I think the fact that we’re not firing but still getting into those positions is key. The quality we have up top will start to fire at some point and when they do, we can go to the next level. Hopefully, it’ll start against PSG!
Chris: No, bar the West Ham game we’ve been industrious – we now need to be magical. Think of Man City and AS Roma last season, that’s the type of game the front three (and entire side) will need to show against Thomas Tuchel’s PSG.
PSG have a number of great players but which one of them do you think Liverpool should be most worried about?
Ben: It’s GOT to be Kylian Mbappe. The kid is rapid. Virgil van Dijk proved he can be a match for him in the international game between Holland and France, but he is still so dangerous. If you allow him the time and space to shoot in even a half-decent position, he will score.
Jay: The attacking trio of Neymar, Mbappe, Edinson Cavani are massive threats and can score plenty of goals, they’ve also got Angel Di Maria, who on his day can be class too. They’re good in midfield too, Marco Verratti is a player I’ve always admired, so it’s nice that he’s suspended. However, I like to look at it as them needing to worry about us and our quality, not us being too concerned about them.
Karl: The fact that they do have such an array of talent means that if you concentrate on worrying about one individual then leave yourself open to other players doing the damage, much like what teams did with us last season. If you try to contain Mbappe, then Neymar or Cavani can be dangerous. I think we need to worry about our own game and making sure that it’s spot on before we worry too much about PSG.
Chris: Kylian Mbappe – he’s phenomenal! He had a wonderful World Cup and unfortunately for Liverpool, he hasn’t looked like he’s got any sort of burn out. His performance against Germany was sensational even if the game ended in a draw.
Would you like to see the manager make any changes from the team that started against Tottenham?
Ben: I’d be happy to see the same team but I could see Jordan Henderson coming in for Gini Wijnaldum or James Milner in this one. Other than that, keep the same back five and hopefully, Bobby Firmio is fit to complete the usual front three.
Jay: I think it’s difficult to see many changes, if any at all really, when we are winning games and playing top teams like Spurs and PSG. Unless there are injuries, then we have to go with our strongest possible side. I can’t see the back five changing, Alisson, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Andy Robertson, Joe Gomez, Van Dijk, and the front three also picks itself, Mo Salah, Sadio Mane and Firmino. The only issue is midfield and whether Henderson gets a start over one of the others.
Karl: I would say no just based on the fact that momentum is a key factor for any team and I don’t think you should change a winning formula unless you’re forced to, but at the same time, I believe in our squad and what the manager is doing with it, so if there are any changes, then it wouldn’t be a huge issue for me as the player(s) coming in are good enough to do a job otherwise there would not much point in them being in the squad if the manager didn’t feel that they would be.
Chris: Alisson and the back four that started at Wembley is for me, now Liverpool’s default choice. The front three pick themselves. Milner had a superb game, he covered the most ground on Saturday – almost 13km. Can he do that again on Tuesday? You may say not but he keeps surprising. It could be time for Fabinho if the boss thinks he’s ready, familiar opposition and that, but being parachuted into that fixture for your first game might be a tough ask. Both Naby Keita and Gini Wijnaldum have looked good, especially at home. That’s a long way of saying NO, isn’t it!?
Care to make a prediction?
Ben: I think we’re going to win 3-1. Salah thrives in the Champions League, so he’ll score first.
Jay: My prediction for this game is goals galore. Both teams have players who can cause chaos but I can definitely see the reds coming out on top, scoreline Liverpool 4-2 PSG.
Karl: Liverpool 3 – 1 PSG
Chris: Liverpool have to win all their home games – it’s a tough group this, I’d like to think Klopp will fire the players up and it’ll be a 2-1 victory.
