Eighteen years on from playing for Liverpool in the Champions League final, Boudewijn Zenden has given his verdict as to whether the current Reds crop can take a step closer to that showpiece fixture on 31 May.
Arne Slot’s side will have to overcome a bang in-form Paris Saint-Germain side if they’re to reach the quarter-finals, although the LFC head coach has been able to name a strong starting line-up for tonight’s first leg at the Parc des Princes.
Both teams have a 13-point lead in their respective domestic leagues, so it might come as a shock to the system for either to have their momentum checked by European elimination next week.
Zenden backing Liverpool to progress
It seems like a difficult tie to call for the neutral, although Zenden has given his former club a narrow edge due to the benefit of having the second leg at Anfield, and a potential issue for PSG in terms of the step-up in quality from the teams they face in Ligue 1.
The 48-year-old said on BBC Radio 5 Live: “Paris Saint-Germain are running away with the French league so a common problem is when they play in the Champions League knowing where they stand.
“I don’t want to push Liverpool into the favourite role, but I think they could be the team that goes through with the second leg at home.”
Liverpool good enough to win if they’re at their best
Had this tie taken place three months ago, the Reds would probably have been strong favourites to progress, but PSG have barely put a foot wrong since the start of 2025 and thumped Brest 10-0 on aggregate in the knockout play-off round.
The Liverpool defence will need to be at the top of their game tonight to stifle a fearsome front three of Ousmane Dembele, Bradley Barcola and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, but there aren’t too many (if any) better centre-back partnerships in Europe right now than Virgil van Dijk and Ibrahima Konate.
As Zenden pointed out, having the second leg at Anfield could work in our favour, with LFC knowing exactly what result they’ll need in front of their own fans in six days’ time, and returning to Merseyside with a draw or win would leave us in a quite favourable position.
Even a one-goal defeat would feel retrievable, although Slot’s side aren’t used to losing and will be determined to gain a strong foothold tonight for the home leg.
If Liverpool are at their best at both ends of the pitch, there’s no reason why they can’t emerge from Paris with victory and swing the tie very much in their favour!
