Redsseektocure travel sickness
In the highstakes game, hosts PSG will look to capitalise on Liverpool’s poor away record in Europe
LONDON: Paris Saint-germain’s struggles to avoid an embarrassing group stage exit in the Champions League began when they fell victim to the aura of Anfield and Roberto Firmino’s stoppage time winner for Liverpool in September.
But with the roles reversed and the Premier League side headed to the Parc des Princes on Wednesday with PSG needing to win to keep qualification for the last 16 in their own hands, the French champions can take solace in the fact Liverpool pack a far weaker punch on the road in the Champions League.
Roma were reeling 5-0 down after just over an hour of last season’s semi-final first leg, PSG were outclassed this season despite the narrow margin of the 3-2 victory and Red Star Belgrade were dismissed 4-0 in October.
Last season Liverpool only secured victory on the road twice in Europe. They were then beaten 3-1 by Real Madrid in the final.
Two colossal errors by Loris Karius in that final pushed Liverpool to splash out a then world record fee for a goalkeeper in Alisson Becker as part of a £160 million summer spending spree that also brought in Fabinho, Naby Keita and Xherdan Shaqiri.
And while an upturn in fortunes, particularly defensively, has been seen in an unbeaten start to the Premier League season, it has not yet cured Liverpool’s travel sickness in the Champions League.
Unless the German finds a way to stop the rot extending to five straight European defeats away from Anfield, Liverpool will likely need to beat Napoli by two goals to progress to the last 16.
“I don’t think there is any game in the world where you would say beforehand, ‘No chance Liverpool,’“Klopp admitted before his side beat PSG. “It is a different club to the club I joined. We got a lot of respect because of the way we played last season.”
But with that status comes the demand to land a knockout blow, even against another contender furnished with a near 500-million-euro forward line of Neymar, Kylian Mbappe and Edison Cavani.