Liverpool advantage emerges as path to Champions League final becomes clear

Liverpool advantage emerges as path to Champions League final becomes clear

ECHO writers have their say on Liverpool's Champions League campaign as the Reds turn their attention to Paris Saint-Germain on Tuesday night in the last 16

A general view of a banner on The Kop ahead of the UEFA Champions League 2024/25 League Phase MD5 match between Liverpool FC and Real Madrid C.F. at Anfield on November 27, 2024 (Image: Chris Brunskill/Fantasista/Getty Images )

The Champions League is back for Liverpool as Arne Slot's side return to European action for the first time in over a month on Tuesday night. After finishing top of the first-ever 36-team group stage of Europe's premier competition, the Reds were handed a tie perhaps more difficult that first imagined when they were paired with Paris Saint-Germain in the Nyon draw last month.

Tuesday will mark Liverpool's first trip to Paris since the 2022 Champions League final and the last time they were hosted by PSG in the French capital was back in 2018, when they were beaten 2-1 at the Parc des Princes.

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Liverpool, however, did go on to win the competition that season and ahead of the Champions League's return to the Reds' schedule, the ECHO's writers have had their say on just how important this year's tournament is now with the club's Premier League title credentials looking so healthy as things stand.

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Paul Gorst

Had Liverpool been neck and neck with Arsenal at this stage of the campaign, I'd take the view that the Champions League could be seen as collateral damage this season.

For a club whose European pedigree has no equal in English football, that might be tough to take but with a second title in five years within touching distance, seeing the Champions League fall by the wayside could be something of a blessing in disguise in the same way the FA Cup was last month.

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That being said, the 13-point cushion between the leaders and the chasing pack means the Reds have plenty of room to breathe at the top of the Premier League and with rock-bottom Southampton at home next up for Arne Slot's side domestically, the opportunity to go strong after a full week off is there for the Paris Saint-Germain game tomorrow night.

With the path to the final plotted out and a meeting with either Aston Villa or Club Brugge for a place in the semi-finals, should PSG be negotiated, then you have to continue treating the Champions League with the utmost respect. Just as Slot has done so far en route to winning the inaugural 36-team group stage at the end of January.

The eyes will remain firmly fixed on the prize domestically but the Champions League won't be treated as an afterthought given the advantageous position the club find themselves in. Why should it?

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That is what the last few games have allowed Liverpool to do now and there's even very valid suggestions that a shot-shy and injury-hit Arsenal might fall away further with the likes of Chelsea and Manchester United to come in the next couple of weeks.

Liverpool can rest easy, to an extent, in the knowledge they are not being hunted down by a prime Manchester City and, instead, an Arsenal side lacking ideas in the final third, without their big hitters in the attack, might even cede further ground before too long.

Should that happen then even more eggs can go into the Champions League basket. What a season it is shaping up to be at this stage.

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Ian Doyle

A quirk in the fixture list may well have determined exactly why Liverpool have no option but to go all in for the Champions League - at least at the moment.

While the somewhat self-inflicted FA Cup defeat at Plymouth Argyle last month left the Reds without a game at the weekend ahead of Wednesday's Champions League round of 16 first leg at Paris Saint-Germain, the match in between the two showdowns with the French side is the Premier League visit of Southampton.

Now, as the saying goes, there are no easy games in the top flight. Some, though, are easier than others, and it's unlikely this season there has been a more potentially straightforward encounter than a home match against a team that has lost 22 of their 27 league games thus far and taken a paltry nine points.

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Even if Liverpool weren't 13 points clear at the Premier League summit, it's a game primed for rotation. That the Reds have given themselves some wriggle room means few would be surprised in the likes of Jarell Quansah, Wataru Endo, Harvey Elliott and Darwin Nunez were all given significant minutes.

PSG, though, is a tough task. In fact, it's probably one of the most difficult draws the Reds could have got. But if they progress, neither Bruges nor Aston Villa will hold much fear in the quarter-finals. And should the semi-finals be reached, the destination of the Premier League title could have effectively been determined by that point.

There's a reason only five English teams have won the championship and European Cup in the same season. The sheer relentless nature of the domestic calendar makes it a magnificent achievement. But Liverpool have given themselves the opportunity to give it a good go.

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Joe Rimmer

If February was a month that saw Liverpool's Premier League title ambition turn from hope into expectation, it might have quietly given their Champions League chances a major boost as well.

And that is without the Reds lifting a finger - or toe - in Europe's top tier competition throughout the month due to their qualification as top seeds.

Indeed, Arsenal's poor form has made Liverpool's final 10 games much more straightforward. Essentially, win six games and the title is theirs.

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That opens up the possibility of the final few games of the season being meaningless and giving Liverpool the chance to concentrate on other opportunities.

If that is in the Champions League then it's a chance they can't pass up.

Paris Saint-Germain is a really tough test to get through but the winners of Club Brugge or Aston Villa will hold no fear for the Reds. Meanwhile Arsenal will have to duke it out with the winners of Real Madrid or Atletico should they advance against PSV Eindhoven to the quarters.

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Liverpool have already beaten favourites Real Madrid this season and if their paths do cross again, there's no reason why the Reds shouldn't be confident of victory.

The pathway to the final in Munich is clear for the Reds, then, and in a season of flux for some of Europe's biggest clubs, they have to do everything they can to get there.

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