Liverpool head coach Arne Slot has said his team will need to deliver their best performance of the season against Paris Saint-Germain if they are to book their place in the quarterfinals of the Champions League.
Liverpool have a narrow advantage in the round-of-16 tie after beating PSG 1-0 in the first leg, despite the hosts dominating at the Parc des Princes. Slot conceded last week that his team were “very lucky” to win the match, and he has now called on his players to up their game in the second leg.
“I think [Liverpool will need to give the best performance of the season] because this is the most complete team we’ve faced so far,” Slot told a news conference on Monday.
“Of course, we’ve faced Arsenal and Manchester City. It’s not that there are big margins, but the intensity [PSG] played at combined with the quality they have — let’s be honest, we are talking about the richest club — so they have so much quality and a great manager because he brings the best out of every player.
“He brings incredible work rate in the team, so that’s why I think we need to be at our best tomorrow.
“I wasn’t surprised at all about [PSG’s] performance. They’ve impressed me a lot. Before the game last week, I watched a lot of their games and I was really impressed with the intensity they play at, the team cohesion, the rotations in the midfield.
“They are such a complete team, such a well-managed team and we experienced that last Wednesday. Some people said we played poor, I don’t agree. I think they played tremendously well.
“I don’t think we’ve faced this season a team that combines that quality with that much intensity but I do think we can do better. I’m not saying we play poor or not good at all but we are a better team than we were last week, and that’s something we have to prove tomorrow with the help of our fans.”
Slot’s sentiments were echoed by forward Diogo Jota, who started last week’s clash in Paris.
Asked whether it was the toughest game Liverpool have faced this season, Jota said: “Yes I think so, at least in my opinion. I obviously missed some games this season but I think the way the game went was not the plan.
“I think that shows as well that, even though things were not going well, we worked hard and stayed in the game to take our opportunity. That means a lot as well as it shows the character this team has. That’s very positive to take into the remainder of the season.
“They had the ball more than we expected. They dominated the game, they created chances. Obviously, we were too far away from their goal a lot of the time but in the end we won the game.
“We know that tomorrow with our fans, we want to show a different face and the game will be different for sure but, in the end, we just want to go through.”
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