PSG set ‘Barça Plan’ for Anfield

Paris Saint-Germain are calling on the “spirit of Barcelona” as they seek one of the most spectacular comebacks in their history on Tuesday night at Anfield. The Parisian side outclassed Liverpool in every way last week, but it didn’t show on the scoreboard. After 90 agonizing minutes, Arne Slot’s team managed to escape with a narrow lead thanks to Harvey Elliott’s late goal. Still, the mood in Paris remains upbeat – Luis Enrique is determined to recreate the turnaround his team pulled off against Barcelona last season to reach the Champions League semifinals.

Barcelona comeback to inspire PSG

Just like against Liverpool, PSG lost the first leg at the Parc des Princes 3-2. In the return leg at Montjuïc in April, the Ligue 1 champions recovered from an early goal by Raphinha to win 4-1, helped in part by Ronald Araújo’s first-half red card. That sending off unleashed Luis Enrique’s team, who went on to demolish Barça in what became one of the defining nights of the Spaniard’s tenure in Paris.

The coach from Asturias was pivotal that night, convincing Kylian Mbappé he needed to work harder defensively to become one of the world’s best. The French star responded with a brace and earned his manager’s public praise, forging a strong bond despite then falling short in the semifinals against Borussia Dortmund.

Inside the PSG locker room, there is complete conviction that the comeback is possible. French media are on board too.

L’Équipe declared in bold letters: “Mission: Possible.” If PSG can repeat the level of play they showed last Wednesday, reaching the next round will be far from a fantasy. Anfield is notoriously difficult, but PSG’s players no longer fear one of Europe’s great teams – a side they had reduced to rubble for nearly the entire match at the Parc des Princes until Elliott’s late strike.

“I’m sure we’re going to win,” PSG players have been repeating in every public appearance leading up to Tuesday’s clash. A year ago, few in France believed they could overturn the deficit in Barcelona, and now, despite a dominant performance in Paris that still left them trailing, the feeling is similar.

The squad is placing their hopes on Ousmane Dembélé – the 2025 top scorer with 20 goals – along with Barcola, Vitinha, Doué, and Joao Neves to deliver a historic night in Liverpool.

In Paris, fans are eagerly awaiting the showdown, hoping to seal a qualification that would push PSG one step closer to the trophy that has obsessed them for 14 years – the Champions League. But Anfield awaits, the scene of many glorious European nights for The Reds, and Slot’s men will surely want to show the world why they are 15 points clear of the next best in the Premier League.

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