Arne Slot insists his Liverpool side still believe they can do something special against Paris St-Germain in the return leg of their Champions League quarter-final on Tuesday.
PSG go into the tie at Anfield with a two-goal lead after winning convincingly in Paris last week but Slot was adamant the Reds can pull off what would be a comeback for the ages.
When attempting to overcome a deficit of two or more goals from an away European first leg, Liverpool have only progressed on two of 13 occasions (against Auxerre in 1991 and Barcelona in 2019).
“In the last 50 home games we have played, 36 times we were able to score two goals or more. Yes, we don’t play PSG in all of those home games but the opponents we have had across the Premier League and Champions League are very strong,” said Slot.
“Yes, there is a belief we can do special things but we also need to be very, very, very special because we are playing against the champions of Europe, so that makes the task more complicated but not impossible,” he added.
And Slot called on the Anfield crowd to help inspire his side in the same way they played their part when Liverpool came from behind to emphatically knock Galatasaray out in the previous round.
“They [the fans] will be just as important as our performance,” he said.
“I think we have to be much much better than last week, and their players are experienced and have experienced Anfield a year ago [when they went through on penalties].
“They know what is coming up so I can only hope that our fans find an extra gear compared to last year when the atmosphere was unbelievable.
“But I think our fans are up for it and I think I can trust them [to be] even louder than last season.”
Asked where the belief would come from, given the feeble nature of Liverpool’s display in France last week where they failed to manage a shot on target and Slot admitted they were “lucky” to only lose 2-0, the Dutchman emphasised that his side have shown how much better they can play.
“You want one example, two, 10 or 200? After the first half at the Etihad [in the 4-0 FA Cup defeat against Manchester City] did you expect City to be three goals up after 20 minutes of the second half?” said Slot.
“Against Galatasaray, we could have scored eight or nine at home, so the amount of times that we have shown we can be much better than we were at PSG, that’s clear.
“A goal can change momentum, which happened in a negative way at the Etihad and in a positive way on Saturday [against Fulham] at Anfield.”
‘We want it so bad’
Slot’s belief was echoed by Dominik Szoboszlai, who stressed that he and his team-mates are going to give everything to try to keep Liverpool’s Champions League hopes alive.
“I believe completely because I know what we are able to do, what kind of players we have and what kind of mentality we have,” the Hungarian said.
“We’ve shown it many times, but maybe not every time, and that’s what we need again from the start.
“My message to them [the fans] is that we are going to go all in. We’ll give our best from minute one to minute 90 or maybe for 120, 125 minutes if needed.
“I can speak for all the players – we want it so bad and in one game anything can happen at Anfield.”
PSG’s Ligue One game against Lens at the weekend was postponed to help them prepare for the second leg, and Ibrahima Konate has said the extra rest will benefit the French team.
Szoboszlai agreed, saying: “Of course it is a difference when they can rest between the two games. It gives them two days extra for recovery, analysing the game, getting ready for the game.
“We have to deal with it and we are professional enough to deal with it. That is our job to do.”
Liverpool beat Fulham at the weekend, with 17-year-old Rio Ngumoha scoring his first Anfield goal, and Slot admitted that the teenager could play a role on Tuesday.
“Yeah I think he can [cope] – first of all because of personality, he doesn’t get distracted,” said Slot.
“Everyone who knows his history, there is expectation around him for years and he has always been able to focus on football and been ready at 16 years of age to score his first goal and at 17 to have multiple starts for Liverpool.
“Secondly, his quality. He has shown he is able to take one-on-ones on and make it difficult for the defenders he is facing.
“He has done a very good job managing what comes to him now but it also helps to have so many good players around him.”
Source: BBC
