Liverpool and PSG clash in gala Champions League opener where potential will meet reality

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  • Mohamed Salah-Roberto Firmino (if fit)-Sadio Mane v Kylian Mbappe-Edinson Cavani-Neymar.

    Champions League opening nights do not get much more mouthwatering than Liverpool’s welcoming of Paris Saint-Germain.

    These are two of Europe’s in-form sides – both boast 100-per-cent league starts – and ones that boasts a plethora of the sport’s greatest attackers.

    The hosts are back in continental action for the first time since May’s 3-1 defeat in the final to Real Madrid denied them a sixth European Cup. The Ligue 1 holders can only dream of such progress, despite several years of unprecedented investment.

    Here, we pick apart what to expect from this gala night in Group C at Anfield.

    TALKING POINT – POTENTIAL MEETS REALITY AT ANFIELD

    An intriguing glimpse into whether we are watching Champions League contenders or pretenders will be offered on Tuesday evening.

    This adds electricity to a high-voltage fixture.

    Buccaneering Liverpool unexpectedly stormed to last season’s showpiece. They’ve since added the likes of Brazil No1 Alisson, driving Guinea midfielder Naby Keita and the versatile Fabinho in a bold bid to ensure they do not come up short again.

    The foundations provided by their bolstered defence now face a seismic test.

    PSG have reset the norms expected in the transfer market to land Canarinho superstar Neymar and World Cup 2018’s golden boy Kylian Mbappe. But still, this stellar pair underwhelmed during a second-successive round-of-16 exit last term – that time to eventual champions Madrid.

    Has the summer arrival of the meticulous and intense Thomas Tuchel in the dugout added necessary direction to a stellar Parisian cast? At the very least, he’ll need to avoid a repeat of his harrowing last visit to Anfield when Borussia Dortmund twice gave up commanding positions to exit the Europa League’s quarter-finals in April 2016.

    An end to PSG’s four-match UCL winless run against English sides will provide validation of his vision.

    Insight into his methods will be offered against Jurgen Klopp – a managerial colossus whose career path he has followed from Mainz to Dortmund and now a foreign ‘super club’.

    The 51-year-old has revelled in the underdog role throughout his storied career. Liverpool’s sizable summer spend has thrust them back into the moneyed elite and added an air of expectation unfamiliar to his previous postings.

    Potential is about to meet reality on Merseyside – for both outfits.

    KEY BATTLE – JAMES MILNER V MARQUINHOS 

    FBL-ENG-PR-TOTTENHAM-LIVERPOOL

    Forget, for now, two of football’s grandest frontlines.

    This clash will be decided in the midfield. Liverpool’s James Milner has been playing in the centre throughout much of the past decade – opposite number Marquinhos can total his experience there in a matter of weeks.

    The efficacy of how this pair disrupt the passing lines forward will define this clash.

    Milner was magnificent in Saturday’s resounding 2-1 victory at Wembley against Spurs. At 32-years old, he ran 12.9 kilometres and made five tackles – the most in the game.

    If he can harass and harangue Neymar in the same manner as he did Harry Kane and Co., Liverpool will find themselves in a commanding position.

    Tuchel’s guiding hand has been present in the retooling of usual Brazil centre-back Marquinhos for 2018/19. Pushed up alongside Adrien Rabiot in an expected 4-2-3-1 because of Marco Verratti’s suspension, his cultured defending will be required to steal the ball and distribute it with haste.

    WHAT THE MANAGERS SAY

    JURGEN KLOPP

    “Winning the first game is always an advantage, but we haven’t won it yet – we have to play it and it will be really difficult.

    “PSG are one of the favourites for the competition, that’s for sure. This team is built for winning the Champions League.

    “It will be an interesting game, for sure. With the players they have and the manager they have, they all brought it together to go as far as possible in the Champions League and we are aware of that.”

    THOMAS TUCHEL

    “A game like this never happens too soon. This is a big challenge.

    “It is under pressure that we see the quality of a group. We won’t be able to relax with the pressure that’s going to be put on.

    “With or without the ball, it requires an extreme level of concentration.

    “If you pass through the corridors of Anfield, you can feel the weight of history. In this meeting, it is up to us to write the story.”

    WHAT WE THINK – LIVERPOOL 2-2 PARIS SAINT-GERMAIN 

    With such a cast of superstars, entertainment and intrigue are a given.

    Liverpool’s defence is much improved, but they will struggle to keep a lid on Tuchel’s effervescent attackers. At the same time, the structure that the German tactician is beginning to put in place will come under severe stress.

    Expects goals galore and the points to be shared.

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