Slot is right to be wary about the threat PSG will pose in the second leg.

Alisson Becker called it “the performance of my life,” and with good reason. Had it not been for the Brazilian goalkeeper, Paris Saint-Germain surely would converted their dominance into a win over Liverpool in the first leg of their Champions League last 16 tie. As it was, the Reds left the French capital with a smash and grab victory.

In the time since that game, Arne Slot has been forthcoming in his assessment of PSG. “I think [Liverpool will need to give the best performance of the season so far] because this is the most complete team we’ve faced,” he said before PSG’s visit to Anfield for the second leg on Tuesday evening.

“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.”

Slot is right to be wary about the threat PSG will pose in the second leg. Liverpool might have left the Parc des Princes with a valuable 1-0 advantage, but the way PSG played suggested they will have more to offer in the re-match. In fact, the second leg might suit Luis Enrique’s team more than the home leg did.

The danger for Liverpool is that the expectation of being the home side on Tuesday sees them commit more players forward. This, of course, is how the Reds play the majority of their matches at Anfield where they have one of the strongest home records anywhere in Europe, but not every team they face has the quality of PSG.

In Joao Neves and Vitinha, PSG have two players with the ability to control matters in the centre of the pitch. The pair might be the best midfield duo in European football right now such is their excellence on the ball and their willingness to win back possession as quickly as possible. Vitinha in particular was a machine against Liverpool last week.

Luis Enrique has long been a coach who places a focus on controlling games using possession. He has remoulded PSG in his own image over the last two seasons, as proven by the fact only Bayern Munich and Manchester City have averaged a higher share of the ball per match in the Champions League this season.

Until recently, though, the accusation was that PSG lacked the cutting edge to make such an approach truly work. They scraped through the league phase of the Champions League after making a slow start to the campaign, suffering lacklustre defeats against Arsenal, Atletico Madrid and Bayern Munich.

In 2025, though, PSG have been a completely different proposition. The likes of Ousmane Dembele and Bradley Barcola have discovered their scoring touch while Khvicha Kvaratskhelia made the move to the Parc des Princes from Napoli in January to give Luis Enrique another option in the final third.

Of course, Liverpool have serious quality of their own. They are the best team in the Premier League right now, sitting 15 points clear at the top of the table. Salah might not be so quiet in the second leg. Alisson will also be just as difficult to beat as he was a week ago in Paris. Nonetheless, nothing is settled yet. With more space to attack, PSG might feel more at home at Anfield.