Arne Slot believes Liverpool will have to produce one of the best performances of their exceptional season so far if they are to beat Paris Saint-Germain in the UEFA Champions League.
The Premier League leaders will visit the French champions this Wednesday evening (20:00 GMT), a more difficult prospect than Slot might have expected in the Round of 16 after his team finished first in the competition's new league-phase format, comprising 32 teams.
"That is clear, because I see Paris Saint-Germain as being one of the strongest teams in Europe," said Slot, at his pre-match press conference.
"We have to accept what the draw is. Both teams are facing a very strong opponent. Not only us, they are as well. I think it's a great fixture to look forward to, for everyone who loves football.
"We have to show, in every part of our game, the best possible performance from this season. We have to be the best possible version of ourselves.
"That can mean we have to play really well on the counter attack. But if they give us a bit more time, we have to be really good with the ball.
"And when they have the ball - I think [PSG head coach] Luis Enrique said it himself - they are one of the best teams with the ball in Europe and he's right. They have so much attacking threat, all over the pitch, and so much rotation, so many players taking different positions."
Similarities between the sides
Multiple attacking threats represent just one of the comparisons that can be drawn between Liverpool and PSG. After Enrique referred to the fast forwards at Slot's disposal, the Dutchman responded: "Again, I see a similarity because [Bradley] Barcola and [Ousmane] Dembele are also not slow!
"They are very, very, very fast as well. And then there is maybe their fourth attacker, which is [Achraf] Hakimi because he is playing as a full-back but he is all the time going up and down, up and down. Maybe that is again a similarity [with us] if you look at Trent Alexander-Arnold.
"Both teams like to have the ball, both teams work really hard without the ball. Not only when they lose the ball but also in every other part of the game, PSG are quite intense in terms of their pressing.
"I think if there is one thing people will tell you about us it is that we are quite intense as well; maybe not going man-v-man all over the pitch like PSG but we like to press aggressively.
"I could come up with about six, seven or eight similar things that both teams are doing. So it's an interesting fixture."
Liverpool team news
One of the aforementioned forwards, Cody Gakpo, is a doubt for the first leg in Paris.
The Netherlands international missed back-to-back Premier League matches last month, against Wolverhampton Wanderers and Aston Villa due to a knock, before featuring only as a late substitute in the wins over Manchester City and Newcastle United.
Slot said: "He was close to being ready to play again but unfortunately, yesterday I think it was, he had to block a shot and he felt a bit of pain again. But we took him with us so we can judge tomorrow whether he can be a part of the squad, yes or no. It will be a close call."
Liverpool defenders Conor Bradley and Joe Gomez remain on the injured list and were not part of the squad that flew out to France.
