Good evening! The
Champions League is back, ladies and gentleman, and there could barely be a more mouth-watering fixture to get us started as Liverpool - last season's beaten finalists - host
Paris Saint-Germain at Anfield!
These two both broke the previous goalscoring record in the group stages of last season's competition and boast two of the best attacks in world football, so we should be in for plenty of entertaining football tonight. It is a match fit for the final, and we're being treated to it on matchday one!
Let's get started with a look at the team news...
LIVERPOOL STARTING XI: Alisson; Alexander-Arnold, Van Dijk, Gomez, Robertson; Milner, Henderson, Wijnaldum; Salah, Sturridge, Mane
LIVERPOOL SUBS: Mignolet, Fabinho, Keita, Firmino, Moreno, Shaqiri, Matip
PSG STARTING XI: Areola; Meunier, Silva, Kimpembe, Bernat; Rabiot, Marquinhos, Di Maria; Mbappe, Cavani, Neymar
PSG SUBS: Kehrer, Choupo-Moting, Diarra, Draxler, Nkunku, Nsoki, Cibois
What can we make of those two teams, then?
Well, the headline news is that Roberto Firmino misses out for Liverpool after suffering that horrendous-looking eye injury against Tottenham Hotspur at the weekend.
The Brazilian was caught by Jan Vertonghen and subsequently taken to hospital and, while the injury was not as serious as it could have been, he is only deemed fit enough for the bench this afternoon as Daniel Sturridge comes in in his place.
The loss of Firmino could prove important tonight given that he really sets the tone for the rest of the team with his pressing - something Daniel Sturridge certainly does not do to anywhere near the same extent.
Firmino has scored in Liverpool's last two games as well and also netted 10 times in 13 Champions League outings last term, matching the 10-goal tallies of Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane as the trio became the most prolific in the competition's history.
We will not get to see these two front threes go at it tonight, then - at least not from the start - but in Salah and Mane Liverpool still have two deadly attackers, and there are plenty of other players in their ranks who are capable of hurting PSG.
Georginio Wijnaldum scored his first away Premier League goal at the 55th attempt at the weekend, while last season James Milner registered nine assists in this competition - a single-season record which surpassed the previous tally of a certain Brazilian called Neymar.
Captain Jordan Henderson returns to the side as Liverpool's only other change from the weekend, meaning that it is the same back five which has conceded just twice so far this season.
Alexander-Arnold and Robertson will have a big role to play as they look to maintain their attacking threat down the wings while also watching out for Mbappe and Neymar behind them, while Van Dijk and Gomez have the chance to test their blossoming partnership against some of the very best in the world right now.
Liverpool's front three are certainly in the conversation, but there are many who would regard this PSG attacking trio as the best in world football at the moment, and they are capable of firing them to victory in any game against any opponent.
Neymar, Edinson Cavani and Kylian Mbappe have already scored 11 league goals in just four games between them this season, picking up exactly where they left off before Neymar's injury in February of this year.
Neymar is the world's most expensive player, but remarkably he has to fight for the star billing with Mbappe following his performances at this summer's World Cup, where he helped fire France to the trophy. Mbappe was suspended against Saint-Etienne and Neymar was rested, so both should be full of energy tonight.
We also cannot forget about Cavani, who has scored eight goals in 14 appearances against English teams and netted for the third league game in a row at the weekend.
There is no place in the squad for the suspended Gianluigi Buffon, although the Italian may not have played even if he had been available considering Areola has seemingly displaced him as the number one now.
Verratti is also suspended for this game and so drops out of the team in one of three changes from the weekend win over Saint-Etienne, with Diarra and Draxler also missing out.
Di Maria is expected to play in a deeper midfield trio alongside Marquinhos, who comes in as a defensive midfielder, and Rabiot, who has been repeatedly linked with a move to Liverpool in recent weeks.
The personnel could also comfortably slip into a 4-2-3-1 formation too, with Di Maria joining Neymar, Mbappe and Cavani in what would be a deadly front four.
There is quality throughout that PSG team, then, but while the visitors are star-studded, Liverpool possess plenty of ability themselves and on paper the home advantage makes this look like a tougher game for the visitors.
Whatever happens it should be an absolute cracker between two attack-minded teams in fine form, with both Liverpool and PSG having made perfect starts to their domestic campaigns and subsequently sitting top - or joint-top in Liverpool's case - of their respective leagues.
It is already Liverpool's best-ever start to a Premier League season, and remarkably only the third time in their entire illustrious history that they have won their opening five games of a top-flight campaign - the first since 1990-91.
Chelsea have also won all five of their games so far, though, meaning that Liverpool still come into this match sitting second in the table on goal difference, although it has been a fine start to a season which promised so much.
Liverpool's start has shown no signs of a hangover from last season's Champions League final defeat, which was not so much surprising as it was disappointing in the manner it happened against Real Madrid in Kiev.
The Reds could well have dethroned the now three-time reigning champions of Europe had Loris Karius not made two career-defining errors, while Gareth Bale capped off Madrid's win with a stunning bicycle kick. Still, few even expected them to reach the final, so they can still be very proud of their achievements in this competition last season.
Every team in Europe now knows exactly what Liverpool can do, though, so they will need to cope with that expectation and the additional preventative measures teams will take against them this season.
This looks like a more balanced Liverpool side, though, with their defensive solidity being the foundation of their perfect domestic start to the season rather than the swashbuckling attacking which won so many admirers last term.
Liverpool averaged an incredible 3.15 goals per game throughout their 2017-18 Champions League campaign, including 23 goals in the group stages alone - a tally which smashed the previous record but was still bettered by PSG themselves last term.
Liverpool also became the first team to have three players scored 10 or more goals in a single European Cup or Champions League season, with Salah, Firmino and Mane all reaching double figures.
With such a difficult group facing them this time around it is highly unlikely that Liverpool will register two 7-0 wins as they did last term, with one of those coming here at Anfield where Liverpool scored 24 goals throughout the tournament.
The Reds remained unbeaten here in this competition last season, winning five and drawing two games including qualifiers. Indeed, they are now unbeaten in their last 16 European home games, stretching back to a 3-0 loss at the hands of Real Madrid in October 2014.
Victory tonight would not only get Liverpool's Champions League campaign off to a perfect start, but it would also see them win three successive home games in the competition for the first time since April 2008.
It is worth remembering that Liverpool only qualified for the Champions League once during a seven-year spell before 2017-18, when they made it to the final while also securing their place in the tournament this season.
It is actually PSG - not the five-time champions - who have the greater recent experience in this competition, then, although their progress on the European stage is proving to be far slower than the wealthy owners would have liked.
PSG have monopolised the silverware in France and begin every season as overwhelming favourites to lift all of the domestic trophies, but when it comes to the Champions League their best showing remains the semi-finals from way back in 1995.
Le Parisiens have been knocked out of this competition at the last 16 stage in each of the past two seasons, including last term when, like Liverpool, their European dreams were dashed by Real Madrid.
PSG made it to the quarter-finals four years in a row prior to this ongoing two-year streak, but they have so far been unable to make the next step. The club's owners have made no secret of their desire to win the Champions League, and it is their performances in this competition which define their season as a success or a failure.
The pressure is most certainly on
Thomas Tuchel, then, despite the German manager's insistence that he does not feel as though his job relies on doing well in this competition.
Tuchel's predecessor Unai Emery won the domestic treble last season but was sacked after only reaching the last 16 of the Champions League, so Tuchel - who succeeded Jurgen Klopp as Borussia Dortmund manager, incidentally - must make progress in this competition if the season is to be deemed a success.
As you might expect, things are going pretty well for PSG on the domestic front so far this season, and they gave a taster of things to come by thrashing Monaco 4-0 in the Trophee des Champions final - France's equivalent of the community Shield.
PSG have since won all five of their Ligue 1 matches too, scoring a whopping 17 goals in that time and already moving five points clear of the chasing pack. Indeed, the champions are just one win away from equalling their best-ever start to a Ligue 1 season, which was set last year.
Across all competitions PSG have scored 21 goals from their six outings so far this season, which is an average of 3.5 per game. Tuchel's side have actually scored at least three times in all of those games too, although tonight will be their biggest test of the season yet.
If last season's Champions League group stages are anything to go by, though, they have more than enough firepower to pick up a famous victory at Anfield tonight, even if it comes to simply outscoring the hosts' own deadly front three.
Last season's round-of-16 exit largely overshadowed some mind-boggling numbers from the group stages, when PSG scored a record 25 goals in their six games, including 12 against Celtic and nine against Anderlecht over their two meetings.
As I have already mentioned, Liverpool also broke the previous record but still found themselves two goals behind PSG, who have now found the back of the net in each of their last 16 Champions League outings.
PSG do, however, come into tonight's match having lost their last three European games, equalling an unwanted club record which they last set between 2002 and 2004.
Defeat tonight would therefore condemn PSG to their worst-ever European run, and it would also see them lose three Champions League away games in a row for the very first time - although they have visited Bayern Munich, Real Madrid and now Liverpool for those games.
PREDICTION: Right, we're 10 minutes away from kickoff at Anfield, which means that it is time for a prediction!
In truth, I have no idea where to even start in predicting this match! One thing does seem certain - goals - but the result really could go either way and either side are more than capable of scoring four, five or more tonight, such is the attacking talent on show. I will sit on the fence and go for a score draw!
SPORTS MOLE SAYS: Liverpool 2-2 PSG
These two sides have only met on two previous occasions, which came in the 1996-97 Cup Winners' Cup semi-final when PSG progressed 3-2 on aggregate following a topsy-turvy tie.
PSG took control of proceedings with a 3-0 home win in the first leg, but goals from Robbie Fowler and Mark Wright threatened a comeback for Liverpool at Anfield as they fell just short. That is PSG's only previous visit to this stadium.
PSG are without a win in their last four games against English opposition stretching back to their 2-1 win over Chelsea in the 2015-16 Champions League last 16, which was incidentally their first and only win on English soil in nine attempts.
The French outfit have also only kept one clean sheet in their previous 12 such games - holding Chelsea to a goalless draw in the 2004-05 group stages.
Liverpool, meanwhile, have won seven of their previous 12 European Cup or Champions League matches against French opposition, although two of their last three such games here at Anfield have ended in defeat - most recently a 2-1 loss to Lyon in 2009-10.
In all European competition Liverpool have won their last two home matches against French sides, though, and have won 11 of 14 home games against Ligue 1 opposition.
Right, the players are out, the anthem is ringing around Anfield and we're almost ready to get going here! A reminder of the team news before we do get started...
LIVERPOOL STARTING XI: Alisson; Alexander-Arnold, Van Dijk, Gomez, Robertson; Milner, Henderson, Wijnaldum; Salah, Sturridge, Mane
PSG STARTING XI: Areola; Meunier, Silva, Kimpembe, Bernat; Rabiot, Marquinhos, Di Maria; Mbappe, Cavani, Neymar
KICKOFF: Here we go, then! Anfield is rocking as Liverpool get us underway for this mouth-watering clash...
PSG are seeing the vast majority of possession in these opening exchanges, and we have just seen the first glimpse of Neymar as he gets past Alexander-Arnold, Henderson, Mane and Milner before seeing his through-ball mopped up by Van Dijk.
Alexander-Arnold floats a cross into the box which Silva needs to come across and deal with ahead of Mane, conceding a corner which results in a second in quick succession...
SAVE! This time Milner plays it short to Salah, who gives it straight back to Milner. The Liverpool midfielder advances into the box and to the byline before drilling a ball into the box which Van Dijk does well to steer on target. Areola has to be alert to tip it over the top.
SAVE! More good pressure from Liverpool as Areola is called into action again. This time it is Milner who goes for goal from just outside the area, but his low strike is tipped wide by the PSG keeper.
Salah comes across to take the corner and puts it right on top of Areola, who needs to punch it away. Moments later Salah and Wijnaldum team up to earn an attacking throw-in, and Anfield shows its appreciation.
Again Salah puts it right under the crossbar and Areola this time is forced to tip it over his own crossbar.
SAVE! Henderson nicks the ball off the toe of Neymar to launch another counter, finding Salah who in turn picks out Mane. Mane finds space to shoot from just outside the area, but his effort is tame and easy for Areola.
This has been a really positive start from Liverpool, who have kept PSG under pressure from the majority of the game so far and are certainly winning the midfield battle at the moment.
Concern for Liverpool here as Mane goes down after a innocuous slide off the field with no PSG players around him. It looks like he will be fine to continue, though.
SHOT! Half a chance for Liverpool from yet another corner - their sixth already - as Gomez does really well to get his head to a delivery which is behind him. He cannot steer it on target, though.
SHOT! Another sight of goal for Liverpool from their sixth corner of the match as Gomez does really well to get his head to a delivery that is behind him, but he cannot steer it on target.
CHANCE! PSG finally come to life inside the Liverpool area as Neymar skips away from his marker before firing his effort straight at Alisson. The Liverpool keeper parries it out into a dangerous area, where Cavani is alive to it, but he cannot get enough on his rebound.
PSG have a chance to break here as Mbappe tears down the right flank before trying to find Cavani or Neymar in the middle, but his pass is behind them both and a good counter-attacking chance goes begging.
PSG are beginning to grow into this game now, but Liverpool almost break free as a fine pass from Milner finds Mane. Areola finds himself in no-man's land, but Silva defends the situation really well to clean up the situation.
UPDATE: There have been a couple of goal already in the 8pm Champions League kickoffs tonight, with Galatasaray leading Lokomotiv Moscow and Monaco breaking the deadlock against Atletico Madrid.
Midway through this half now and it is still very finely poised between these two sides. Liverpool have been the better team so far, but PSG are growing into the game.
SHOT! Mane collects the ball on the right flank and looks up to see Neymar defending against him. Mane subsequently beats Neymar with ease to advance into the area, but he slices his eventual effort well off target.
YELLOW CARD! Van Dijk is the first name in the book tonight for grabbing Mbappe to prevent him from racing clear.
Liverpool get away with one here as Di Maria is given the time to float a pass over to Neymar, who finds himself clean through on goal. The linesman's flag goes up, but the replay shows that the Brazilian was actually on.
GOAL! LIVERPOOL 1-0 PSG (DANIEL STURRIDGE)
GOAL! First blood goes to Liverpool in this heavyweight clash, and it is Daniel Sturridge who marks his first Champions League start for the club with a goal!
Robertson whips a beauty of a cross into the box after Alexander-Arnold's delivery went all the way through, and Sturridge has peeled off his man to thump a header past Areola!
CHANCE! Liverpool almost make two in quick succession as Wijnaldum causes havoc with a late dart into the area. The ball drops to him with his back to goal, but his attempted shot around the corner is blocked.
PSG respond by winning a free kick in a good position and Neymar goes for power from all of 30 yards out, but the Liverpool wall does its job.
CHANCE! Big chance for PSG from the resulting corner as Liverpool's defence is asleep to Mbappe's peeling run. Neymar plays it along the floor and Mbappe really should score, but he fires it narrowly over.
PENALTY! Penalty to Liverpool as Bernat trips Wijnaldum in the box!
GOAL! LIVERPOOL 2-0 PSG (JAMES MILNER, PEN)
GOAL! Liverpool double their lead with less than 10 minutes remaining in the half as James Milner tucks his penalty into the bottom corner!
It is a mindless challenge from Bernat to give away the spot kick as he dangles a leg out to trip Wijnaldum, who had three other PSG defenders around him. There is no doubt that it is a penalty, and Milner makes no mistake by putting it beyond the reach of Areola!
Anfield is absolutely rocking here, and PSG don't seem to be able to react! Here is the goal which started it all off...
GOAL! LIVERPOOL 2-1 PSG (THOMAS MEUNIER)
GOAL! PSG are right back into this match as they halve the deficit through
Thomas Meunier's instinctive finish!
Di Maria's initial cross into the box wasn't the best and Cavani missed with an attempted bicycle kick, but it then bounced off the leg of Robertson and fell to Meunier, who did not have a second thought before volleying it past Alisson and into the bottom corner.
That is three goals in the last 10 minutes now - this match was never going to disappoint, was it?! Liverpool will kick themselves if they do not go into the break ahead in this match, though.
UPDATE: Atletico Madrid have come from behind against Monaco, with Diego Costa and Jose Gimenez getting on the scoresheet.
Alexander-Arnold bursts down the right flank and clips a cross into the box, but Sturridge's touch sends the ball into the arms of Areola, who beats Mane to it.
YELLOW CARD! Meunier goes into the book for a trip on Mane.
There will be a minimum of one minute added time at the end of this first half.
HALF TIME: LIVERPOOL 2-1 PSG
Well, that opening 45 minutes certainly did not disappoint! Three goals in the space of 10 minutes give Liverpool a 2-1 lead over PSG at the halfway stage at Anfield, and I would be surprised if we have seen the last of the goals in this one.
Liverpool have been the better team so far and looked as though they might punish a lacklustre PSG performance until the visitors pulled one back.
The opening goal came right on the half-hour mark when Robertson delivered a peach of a cross into the box for Sturridge, who planted a fine header past Areola.
Sturridge was selected ahead of Firmino due to the Brazilian's eye troubles, and he has repaid Jurgen Klopp's faith so far with a goal on his first ever Champions League start for the club.
A second goal arrived just six minutes later, this time from the penalty spot following a poor piece of defending from Bernat, who dangled his leg out inside the area and brought Wijnaldum down.
Milner stepped up to take the spot kick, and calmly tucked his finish into the bottom corner despite Areola guessing the right way.
PSG responded moments later, although there was an element of fortune about their goal as Cavani was offside when going for the ball from Di Maria's cross.
The striker did not make contact with it, though, and the ball bounced off the leg of Robertson to fall to Meunier. The full-back still had plenty to do from there, but he made no mistake with an instinctive finish.
KICKOFF: PSG get us back underway for the start of this second half at Anfield!
The worry for Liverpool in this half will be that PSG do not play as poorly as they did in the first, although with Neymar, Mbappe and Cavani refusing to track back, they should still get plenty of space to attack.
PSG come forward with pace, but Liverpool are quick to get back and quell the attack, which eventually comes to an end with Neymar being offside.
We have seen very little from Neymar, Cavani and Mbappe so far tonight, and huge credit for that must go to Liverpool's defence. They are keeping that deadly front three very quiet indeed.
Mbappe finally shows the first signs of his dazzling footwork, skipping away from Henderson and then past Robertson, but his final delivery does not match the buildup play.
Liverpool have seen the vast majority of possession in this second half so far, although with only a one-goal lead that could also be dangerous considering PSG's threat on the counter. The Reds look in control right now, though.
DISALLOWED GOAL! Hugely controversial moment at Anfield as Liverpool think they have added a third goal, only for it to be disallowed very late!
Salah put the ball into the back of the net, but it is chalked off for a foul by Sturridge on Areola in the PSG goal. In retrospect it is probably the right decision, but it was a late call and seemed to come from the official behind the goal.
PSG have got away with one to a certain extent there, as both the referee and the linesman seemed to think it was a perfectly good goal. How big could that moment prove to be?
CHANCE! Big chance for Liverpool to put that disallowed goal behind them and add a third, but Sturridge gets his header all wrong and it is easy for Areola in the end. That wasn't much harder than the header he scored in the first half.
Liverpool will be confident that there are still more goals in this one for them. They are knocking the ball around nicely inside the PSG half, and in truth this has been a much easier game than they would have expected so far.
SHOT! Waste of a decent attacking opening for Liverpool here as Sturridge tries his luck from the edge of the area, but fires it high and wide of the target.
Liverpool win a free kick in a good position and Henderson chips it towards Alexander-Arnold on the right channel. It is a clever move, with Alexander-Arnold looking for Mane in the middle, but Silva is there to put it out.
Henderson wins the ball back in midfield again and launches another counter, but Sturridge takes too long to make a decision and eventually he and Henderson are crowded out.
Milner swings yet another corner into the box, but Cavani is there to flick it behind for one more corner. Still Liverpool looking the most likely to add to the scoring.
LIVERPOOL SUB: Liverpool make their first change of the evening as Roberto Firmino replaces Sturridge.
CHANCE! Decent chance for Liverpool as Van Dijk climbs highest inside the area to knock the ball down for Salah, but Marquinhos does just enough to put the winger off and force him to fire it wide.
For all of their attacking quality - not to mention the fact that they are chasing the game - PSG are yet to have a shot on Liverpool's goal in this second half. Liverpool will kick themselves if they don't win this one.
This has been a very underwhelming performance from PSG, but with the deficit still just one goal Liverpool remain vulnerable. The hosts could really do with a third here to set any nerves at ease.
PSG are seeing more of the ball now, but they are lacking a bit of urgency in their play despite the situation. Time is running out for the visitors!
Liverpool almost break as Salah flicks the ball into the path of Mane, who is only denied a one-on-one by the offside flag, which is incorrectly raised.
PSG SUBS: Double change for the visitors as Julian Draxler and Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting replace Cavani and Di Maria.
CHANCE! Lovely football from Liverpool again as Mane and Salah combine down the right channel. Mane sees his initial cross deflected, before picking it back up and dinking it over Kimpembe and firing an effort right across the face of goal.
GOAL! LIVERPOOL 2-2 PSG (KYLIAN MBAPPE)
GOAL! Liverpool should have put this game to bed long ago, but they find themselves level here as Kylian Mbappe tucks away an equaliser at the death.
The Reds are trying to launch a counter, but for the second time in quick succession Salah gives the ball away carelessly. Neymar pounces on it and drives forward before being tackled by Van Dijk. The ball squirms to Mbappe inside the box, and he takes a touch before tucking it into the bottom corner.
LIVERPOOL SUB That mistake will be Salah's last action of the match as he is replaced by Xherdan Shaqiri.
CLOSE! Mane wins a free kick just outside the area and Alexander-Arnold takes it, with his effort taking a slight nick off Rabiot before clipping the outside of the post.
CHANCE! PSG almost catch Liverpool on the break as Neymar's ball forward leaves the Reds exposed at the back. The ball drops to Draxler, who bides his time but sees his eventual effort blocked by Van Dijk.
There will be three minutes of added time at the end of this match.
GOAL! LIVERPOOL 3-2 PSG (ROBERTO FIRMINO)
GOAL! Surely that is the winner from Roberto Firmino, who shows that there is no problems with his vision by firing a pinpoint finish into the bottom corner!
Milner wins the ball off Mbappe just outside the PSG area and feeds it to Firmino, who twists and turns inside the box before drilling a fine effort across goal and into the corner.
LIVERPOOL SUB: One final change late on for Liverpool as Fabinho comes on for his debut, replacing Mane.
FULL TIME: LIVERPOOL 3-2 PSG
Well, this fixture promised goals and it certainly has not disappointed!
Liverpool make a statement in their opening match of the Champions League campaign with a 3-2 victory over a PSG side who were underwhelming and outplayed for long spells by the hosts.
Quickfire goals from Daniel Sturridge and James Milner gave Liverpool the lead in the first half, only for Thomas Meunier to halve the deficit just as quickly. It looked as though Liverpool might be punished for their profligacy when Mbappe tucked away an 83rd-minute equaliser, but Firmino came off the bench to fire home the winner in stoppage time, sending Anfield wild in the process.
Right, that is all we have time for this evening!
Thank you very much for joining Sports Mole for tonight's thrilling Champions League opener as Liverpool beat PSG 3-2 at Anfield courtesy of Firmino's last-gasp winner. I will leave you with our match report, and be sure to stick around for reaction too.
From me, though, it is goodbye for now!
