Image Credits: Imago Images
Liverpool’s dream of a Champions League semi-final berth is very much alive, but first Arne Slot’s side will need to navigate what promises to be a blockbuster quarter-final showdown with Paris Saint-Germain – a rematch of last season’s round of 16 clash, which PSG edged on penalties at Anfield.
The first leg takes the Reds to the French capital, with the tie at Parc des Princes set for Wednesday, April 8, before the return leg at Anfield on Tuesday, April 14, both games kicking off at 8pm BST.
The two-legged tie has already been making headlines across the Channel for reasons beyond football alone. Ligue 1 leaders PSG were originally scheduled to host second-placed Lens on April 11, right in the eye of the storm between the two Champions League fixtures.
The governing body of French football, the LFP, confirmed this week that the game has been postponed to May 13 following a request from PSG, with the decision backed unanimously by the league’s board. Lens, who sit just one point behind PSG in the title race, fiercely opposed the move and released a statement calling it “unsportsmanlike” and warning that the French league was being “relegated to the status of an adjustment variable.”
The LFP, however, sided with PSG, citing the broader interest of maintaining France’s fifth-place UEFA coefficient ranking and protecting their four Champions League slots.
Liverpool, by contrast, will have no such luxury. Slot’s side face Fulham in the Premier League on the same April 11 weekend while PSG enjoy a free run of preparation.
Should Liverpool come through that quarter-final, UEFA have now confirmed the semi-final dates.
The winners of the PSG/Liverpool tie will face the winners of Real Madrid versus Bayern Munich, with the first leg of that semi-final taking place on Tuesday, April 28, and the return on Wednesday, May 6, both at 8pm BST. It is a tantalising prospect – but there is a formidable hurdle to clear in Paris first.
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