On the eve of another heavyweight European night in Paris, Vitinha did not bother pretending Liverpool’s aura had faded.
“Liverpool are Liverpool, even if they are not in ideal form. They are still a great team,” the Portuguese midfielder told reporters on Tuesday at the Parc des Princes, fully aware of the scars last season’s tie left on both sides.
This is a rerun with a twist. Same clubs, same stage of the Champions League, same first-leg venue. Yet the mood music around it feels very different.
Memories of a brutal tie
A year ago, Liverpool stole a 1-0 win in Paris with a late goal in a game that, in Vitinha’s eyes, barely belonged to them.
“It was an incredible tie,” he said. “There was a bit of frustration in the first match. I don’t remember Liverpool having a chance apart from the goal they scored at the end.
“We played well and yet we still lost. I remember saying that by playing like that we could go to Liverpool and win.
“Fortunately we did that, but that was last year.”
Paris Saint-Germain did indeed flip the script at Anfield, winning 1-0 and then holding their nerve in the penalty shoot-out to reach the quarter-finals. They rode that surge all the way to their first ever European crown. Liverpool, for their part, consoled themselves with the Premier League title.
The stakes are no lower this time, but the context has shifted.
“This is a different year, there have been changes in the two teams. Lots of things happen in football in a year, and it will be a different game for sure,” Vitinha warned.
Liverpool arrive wounded, not broken
Arne Slot brings his team to Paris under pressure. Liverpool were humbled 4-0 by Manchester City in the FA Cup quarter-finals at the weekend, a defeat that underlined just how fragile their form has become.
They have won only one of their last five games in all competitions. In the Premier League they sit fifth, with a place in next season’s Champions League anything but guaranteed. The margin for error is shrinking.
Yet for Vitinha, that only sharpens the danger. A wounded Liverpool can still bite. “It will be a great match here, and at Anfield, and tomorrow we will need to be at 100 percent. It will still be a very, very difficult game,” he insisted.
Ekitike’s Paris return
One of the new elements in this year’s clash is a familiar face to the home crowd. Hugo Ekitike, who never truly settled in Paris during an 18‑month spell between 2022 and 2024, returns in Liverpool red and in the form of his life.
The France striker has become Liverpool’s top scorer this season with 17 goals, his surge putting him firmly in the conversation for a World Cup spot with Les Bleus.
For Vitinha, the reunion is tinged with both fondness and professional ruthlessness.
“Hugo is a fantastic guy. I enjoyed the year I spent with him. You could see the quality he had even if it wasn’t the right context for him. I wish him all the best except for these two matches,” he said, a wry smile in the words.
Ekitike’s revival away from Paris adds a sharp narrative edge. The club that never quite found a place for him must now work out how to stop him.
PSG count the absentees
While Liverpool wrestle with form, PSG must manage bodies. Luis Enrique confirmed that two important pieces of his squad are set to miss the first leg.
Spain midfielder Fabian Ruiz, sidelined with a knee injury since January, remains out of contention.
“Fabian has not yet trained with the squad, so how can he play?” the coach said. “He has improved a lot and we are very happy. That shows he is on the right road but he still has some way to go.”
Bradley Barcola, one of the breakout performers in the 8-2 aggregate demolition of Chelsea in the previous round, is also unlikely to feature despite making it back to training.
“We are trying to find the best conditions for the player and he needs to tell us when he is ready,” Luis Enrique explained, careful not to rush a winger whose pace and directness have become key weapons.
Their absence trims PSG’s options, but it does not dull the expectation around the Parc des Princes. This is still a side that knows what it takes to navigate this stage of the competition, and one that carries the authority of reigning European champions.
No favourites this time
Asked to embrace the role of favourites, Luis Enrique pushed back. Hard.
“It is impossible to say one team is the favourite,” he said. “Last year everyone said Liverpool were the favourites, and the team that went through was Paris Saint-Germain.”
The message was clear: reputations count for nothing over 180 minutes and, if needed, penalties. Not when Liverpool are searching for redemption. Not when PSG are defending a title they chased for so long.
Two clubs with recent history, bruises still fresh, collide again on Wednesday night. One looking to reassert its dominance in Europe, the other desperate to salvage a stuttering season.
The stage is the same. The script, once more, is up for grabs.
