Paris Saint-Germain star Vitinha insists they remain very wary of the threat posed by Champions League quarter-final opponents Liverpool despite the Anfield club coming into the heavyweight tie in poor form.
“Liverpool are Liverpool, even if they are not in ideal form. They are still a great team,” Vitinha said on the eve of the first leg between the sides at the Parc des Princes.
“It will be a great match here and at Anfield. We will need to be at 100 percent. It will still be a very, very difficult game,” he added.
The tie is a repeat of the last-16 encounter between the clubs a year ago, when Liverpool won 1-0 in Paris only for Luis Enrique’s side to claim victory by the same score at Anfield and then go through on penalties.
They went on to become European champions for the first time in their history, while Liverpool won the English Premier League.
However, Arne Slot’s side have struggled to rediscover their best form this season, and come into tonight’s showdown off the back of a 4-0 hammering by Manchester City in the FA Cup quarter-finals.
They have won just one of their last five matches in all competitions and sit fifth in the Premier League, so a place in next season’s Champions League is far from assured.
One new face in the Liverpool team this time will be Hugo Ekitike, the France striker who returns to Paris to face the club where he struggled to make an impact during an 18-month spell between 2022 and 2024. Ekitike is Liverpool’s top scorer this season with 17 goals.
“Hugo is a fantastic guy. I enjoyed the year I spent with him. You could see the quality he had even if it wasn’t the right context for him. I wish him all the best except for these two matches,” Vitinha said of the forward.
PSG coach Luis Enrique indicated that his side will go into the game without two key players.
Midfielder Fabian Ruiz is still not ready to return from the knee injury which has kept him on the sidelines since January, while winger Bradley Barcola – among the goals in the 8-2 aggregate demolition of Chelsea in the last round – is also expected to miss out despite returning to training.
Asked about his team’s status as favorites, Luis Enrique said: “It is impossible to say one team is the favorite. Last year everyone said Liverpool were the favorites, and the team that went through was Paris Saint-Germain.”
AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
