Are you a football fan? Then grab yourself a cold one, for Tuesday’s night delight at Anfield, as Liverpool FC takes on Paris Saint Germain in their first group match of the UEFA Champions League. And Liverpool would hope to feed off the energy of the home crowd, pressuring PSG into mistakes.
This is simply one of those matches where sentiments suppress logic. Fans of The Reds would predict a win for their beloved football club, but many, not in this group, would beg to differ. In a match like this, the true winners are those, in between, those who tune in to watch this two offensive juggernauts go at it.
One would be right to assume that a team led by Thomas Tuchel, with names like star players like Neymar Jr., Kylian Mbappe and Edinson Cavani would walk over any mid-level and lower tier team, and most likely give a top team a run for their money. But the Les Parisiens are set to meet their match in Liverpool, who possess a forward trio of Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mané and Roberto Firmino, players who led Liverpool’s amazing run in last season’s Champions League.
Tonight’s game will be one with plenty of goals, as both teams employ the 4-3-3 formation, with three exceptionally talented forward players on each side. There is no doubt that the defenders and goalkeepers will have to be at the top of their game in this thrilling encounter.
PSG boast a forward line up led by Neymar Jr., Cavani and Mbappe. For any football fan, these names need no introduction. Mbappe’s raw talent was a thing of spectacle during the 2018 FIFA World Cup as the youngster was pivotal to France’s victory in Russia. Mbappe had many fans glued to their TV screens, making believers out of sceptics, and having people question if he could be the heir to the throne jointly occupied by Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. Neymar and Cavani are players who have proven their quality over the years.
In the 2017/18 season, Neymar scored 19 goals and had 13 assists in Ligue 1 and bagged the 6 times in 7 appearances in the Champions League before he was struck by injury. Cavani has also proven to be a prolific goalscorer, leading the line since the departure of Swede, Zlatan Ibrahimovic.
Salah was the pick of the pack for Liverpool as he scored a record 32 goals in 36 appearances in the Premier League and also put up a dazzling run in last year’s UCL, leading his team to the finals before losing to Real Madrid after he was injured in the first half. The pace, trickery and finishing of Liverpool’s forward men will be key in tonight’s game as Firmino’s link-up play, Mané’s speed and Salah’s finish will cause possible havoc to the PSG defence.
Both teams thrive on a high press and the opposing team will deploy counterattacking football when either team loses possession.
So what do you think, will the PSG defenders have more of an issue with Liverpool’s attackers or will Liverpool defenders find themselves biting off more than they can chew?
For Chinedu Okafor, its all about making an impact with words, creating a profound impression on the audience with the intended narrative.
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