Two of Europe's form teams are opposed on Wednesday, while Paris Saint-Germain Liverpool welcomes in the Parc des Princes for the first stage of a glorifying Champions League Last-16-equal game.
Both PSG and Liverpool sail to titles in Ligue 1 and the Premier League respectively.
Liverpool gets a chance of 98.7% to win the Premier League through Opta's supercomputer, who ranks PSG's probability to win Ligue 1 in 100%.
While PSG stormed to a 4-1 defeat of Lille on Saturday, Liverpool came well rested in this collision after they had the weekend off after their Shock FA Cup exit last month.
This draw does not only contain two of Europe's best teams, but also two of the best attackers of the continent this season.
Mohamed Salah has been sensational for Liverpool, while Ousmane Dembele De Kylian Mbappe-shaped emptiness in PSG's forward line seems to fill.
Last month Luis Enrique suggested that PSG was a better team without Mbappe, who now thrives Real Madrid after a difficult start in the Spanish capital.
PSG defeated Brest 10-0 over two legs in the Champions League play-offs to reach the last 16.
The last four games of Paris Saint Germain:
Ench 4-1 vs. Losc. 7-0 versus Stade Briochin. 3-2 vs. Lyon ench 7-0 versus Brest
21 goals scored pic.twitter.com/dwdrfahpv6
-Paris Saint-Germain (@psg_englaan) 2 March 2025
In addition, PSG became the first team in the history of Champions League that had seven different goal scorers in one match and the first with three replacement score in the same match.
It was also PSG's largest European victory in what their 285th of such competition was. With a view to Liverpool, however, will be a completely different test of the theory of Luis Enrique.
What is expected?
This will only be the third Champions League meeting between Liverpool and PSG.
They previously played each other in the 2018-19 group stage, where the Reds won at home 3-2 and lost 1-2, so there is an even record of the head if it looks now.
This is the first time that these teams will play each other in the knockout phases of a major European competition since the meeting in the semi-final of the Cup Winners' Cup in 1996-97, with PSG to the last after a 3-2 total victory.
Liverpool has won none of their last five out-matches against French parties in Europe (D2 L3), with their last such victory in Marseille in September 2008 (2-1 in the Champions League).
Reds -head coach Arne Slot, however, is unbeaten against the French opposition in the large European competition, winning two of his three games and the other traits. The most recent of those competitions was a 2-1 victory over Lille in the competition phase of this season.
But who are the favorites for this match and the draw in general?
About the 10,000 data-conducted simulations of the first stage of Opta's Supercomputer, PSG was 39.8%at the top, with Liverpool who won 35.1%and the draw at 25.1%.
Although PSG is made favorites for the first stage, it is Liverpool that is supported to continue the draw, with 58.3%.
Dembele finally delivers
For a long time it seemed that Dembele would not live up to his enormous promise.
His spectacular turnout in Rennes and then Borussia Dortmund resulted in the fact that he was drawn up the wing player Barcelona to replace Neymar when the Brazilian left for PSG in 2017.
Yet Dembele could never really find his feet in Barca, and even a move to PSG in 2023 did not immediately see him find his very best shape.
However, this season has been different.
Dembele has been fantastic, whether it played centrally (where he spent 39% of his minutes) or on the right (where he played 57% of the time).
He has delivered 26 goals in all competitions for PSG, with six assists. Dembele has succeeded in exceeding his own 19.49 Expected goals (XG) against 6.51, which shows how his finish has been.
Since the beginning of 2025, Dembele has been in an incredible form.
The French International scores 1.87 goals per 90 and delivers 1.97 target contributions per 90 in 2025, while on average it is a goal every 48 minutes.
Dembele wasted a huge opportunity for Barca against Liverpool back in the semi -final of 2019, so he could be even more motivated to deliver on the big stage now.
PSG had to come through the play-offs to reach the last 16, but the Luis Enrique team is in a five-game win-streak in the Champions League, scored 21 goals and admits only three times in this run. They last won six in a row in the competition in the 1994-95 campaign.
They are the joint second-high goal scorers in all the competitions of teams in Europe's top five competitions, with their 105 strikes that are only behind Barcelona (124) this season.
If Dembele maintains his shape in these two legs, PSG has no reason to fear in Liverpool.
Salah the difference for the favorites?
According to the Opta model, Liverpool is the favorites of the competition in general, with their current opportunities to win their seventh European crown with 19.2%, with PSG's probability that a Maiden Champions League triumph is 9.5%.
Liverpool's attack did not always shot all the cylinders in the competition phase, but the Slot team ended the top of the competition phase.
Their success was built on fixed foundations – Only Arsenal (5.82) registered a lower expected goals against (XGA) than the 7.0 of Liverpool over the first eight games.
At the top of the field, however, they have a player who is certainly the most important candidate for this year's balloon d'Or.
Salah already has a remarkable 52 target contributions (30 goals, 22 assists) in all competitions this period.
The 32-year-old has performed better than his 26.04 XG and scored about four goals than he would have expected based on the quality of opportunities that have come on his way, with his exceptional finish.
It must be stated that Liverpool has lost each of their last three games in the knockout phases of the Champions League.
That said, all three have been to Real Madrid (2021-22 final and at home/road in 2022-23 last 16). Since the beginning of 2020-21, four of their five losses in the knockout phases of the competition have indeed come across Los Blancos, with Inter (in March 2022) the only other side they defeat at the time.
Players to watch
PSG – Achraf Hakimi
Although Dembele PSG's Talisman is in attack, Liverpool cannot just look to pin him and think that their work has been done.
Fly-back Hakimi this season leads all defenders in the Champions League for opportunities Created (12) and assists (four) made while they are made from an opposition player under pressure-intensive pressure.
Indeed, his four of such assists are most players in the competition this period.
Hakimi is also at the top of the Champions League hit lists for opportunities created by a defender (24), with all those from open play.
Liverpool – Mohamed Salah
Salah was directly involved in 20 goals in 30 performances in the knockout phases of the Champions League (12 goals, eight assists); Most by an African player in the history of the competition (one more than Samuel Eto'o and Didier Drogba).
Despite his terrifying form this season, Salah may not have been as clinical as people would have expected in the Champions League.
He only scored twice in the competition phase and performed his 4.52 xg behind. His shot conversion rate was 11.54%, while this season is 22.22%in all competitions.
But Salah is a big player for the big moments, and PSG must be at their best to keep him still.
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