Paris Saint-Germain have been handed a significant advantage ahead of their Champions League quarter-final showdown with Liverpool after a controversial decision by the French league.
The irony will not be lost on Arne Slot. As Liverpool prepare for the relentless grind of a Premier League run-in, their Champions League quarter-final opponents have just been handed the ultimate helping hand
After the international break concludes, Arne Slot‘s Reds have some very difficult fixtures to contend with in April.
Indeed, right after the break is over, Liverpool are set to face Manchester City at the Etihad, in a tasty FA Cup quarter-final tie.
Liverpool’s next five fixtures in April:
| Date | Opponent | Venue | Competition |
| Sat 4 April | Man City | Away | FA Cup |
| Wed 8 April | PSG | Away | Champions League |
| Sat 11 April | Fulham | Home | Premier League |
| Wed 14 April | PSG | Home | Champions League |
| Sun 19 April | Everton | Away | Premier League |
Right after that, Liverpool then have to travel to face Luis Enrique’s PSG, who are the current Champions League holders, in Europe’s most prestigious competition, with a second leg back at Anfield scheduled for the 15th of April.
Safe to say, Slot will be required to utilise his full squad to ensure tired legs don’t get the better of the Merseyside giants.
While Liverpool will have to grin and bear it, regarding the congested fixture list ahead, PSG have been handed a major advantage, as they battle against their own fatigue setting in.
Indeed, it has now been revealed that the French League Federation has postponed PSG’s upcoming Ligue 1 match with RC Lens, scheduled for the 11th of April, to ensure they can better prepare for the two legs with Slot side.
This means that Paris Saint-Germain, who currently hold a slender one-point lead over RC Lens at the summit of Ligue 1, have been granted a luxury six-day hiatus between the first leg on Wednesday, April 8, and the return at Anfield on Tuesday, April 14.
In stark contrast, Liverpool have been afforded no such cooperation from the Premier League. The Reds remain scheduled to welcome Fulham to Anfield for a 5:30pm kick-off on Saturday, April 11 a fixture that falls squarely in the middle of their European quarter-final.
While PSG arrive on Merseyside fully refreshed following their league postponement, Arne Slot’s side will be forced to navigate a grueling 72-hour turnaround, leaving the Anfield hierarchy facing a significant disadvantage in their quest for a seventh European crown.
On the contrary, with the French giants leaving a bad taste in the mouth with their antics.
This will surely just make the two games to come even more feisty than first anticipated, with Slot hopeful of revenge against the Ligue 1 giants, after they knocked Liverpool out of the Champions League last season, via penalties.
As well as that, Lens general manager Benjamin Parrot issued a furious message to PSG and Enrique telling them what to do.
He said this week: “The fact is, PSG made the choice of the Champions League, like Canal+, their broadcaster. Now, if the LFP doesn’t defend Ligue 1, who will? If they don’t defend the continuity and respect for what Ligue 1 is, who will?”
He continued to L’Equipe: “When we start the season, we have the tenth-largest budget, we build a squad and a strategy to compete in the league and the Coupe de France.
“The fact that the reigning European champions can still be involved in European competition in the spring is good news, but it’s not unpredictable.
“Yet today, they’re asking us to change a known schedule, for which a plan has already been established. We realise that Ligue 1 is becoming the variable used to adjust the Champions League schedule.
“We’re in a situation where one of the parties involved can’t have a say. It’s one thing for PSG to make the request, but for the LFP to grant it at such an advanced stage of the season. Besides, would this same debate even take place if Paris had a 15-point lead? They might simply rotate their squad.”
Slot would love to exact revenge
Liverpool weren’t on the receiving end of a hammering last season, when facing the might of their Parisian opponents, with a 1-1 aggregate score over two legs leading to PSG’s victorious penalty shootout.
However, this time around, it could be even tougher for Slot’s Reds to overcome their opponents, with PSG just fresh off battering Liam Rosenior’s Chelsea 8-2 over two legs in the Champions League.
Moreover, Liverpool aren’t what they were last season, either, with ten defeats in the Premier League seriously damaging their confidence.
Still, Slot would love to get the better of the Ligue 1 side, considering he regularly makes comments about Enrique’s outfit.
Head-to-Head History: Liverpool vs. PSG:
| Date | Venue | Competition | Result |
| Mar 11 2025 | Anfield | Champions League (round of 16) | Liverpool 0-1 PSG (PSG won on pens) |
| Mar 5 2025 | Parc des Princes | Champions League (round of 16) | PSG 0-1 Liverpool |
| Nov 28 2018 | Parc des Princes | Champions League (group stage) | PSG 2-1 Liverpool |
| Sep 18 2018 | Anfield | Champions League (group stage) | Liverpool 3-2 PSG |
| Apr 24 1997 | Anfield | Cup Winners Cup (semi finals) | Liverpool 2-0 PSG |
| Apr 10 1997 | Parc des Princes | Cup Winners Cup (semi finals) | PSG 3-0 Liverpool |
Back in January, PSG were even mentioned in Slot’s post-match comments after facing Arsenal, with the under-fire Dutchman also stating that the Red-and-Blues wouldn’t want to face his free-flowing team if they had been watching Liverpool’s convincing 4-0 victory over Galatasaray.
He has, further, labelled his team’s upcoming opponents as “incredible” in the past, with the ex-PSV Eindhoven boss desperate to finally beat a side he loves commenting on.
All this pre-match drama is setting the stage for what could be a classic set of Champions League matches to come, with no love lost between the two behemoths.
