Arne Slot is set to be without a number of players for Tuesday’s pivotal Champions League quarter-final second leg tie against Paris Saint-Germain at Anfield
Liverpool face Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League on Tuesday(Image: Getty Images)
Liverpool could be without five players for Tuesday’s Champions League quarter-final second leg against Paris Saint-Germain. The Reds host PSG looking to overturn a two-goal deficit from the first leg in Paris.
Arne Slot’s side were beaten in comprehensive fashion five days ago and it could have been worse if PSG were more clinical, having had 18 shots, six shots on target, four big chances and creating 2.35 expected goals (xG). However, the Reds were able to walk out of the first leg at Parc des Princes just 2-0 down with Desire Doue and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia scoring either side of half-time for the home side.
It still gives them a fighting chance of progressing past PSG and into the semi-final of the Champions League for the first time in four years. But Slot is expected to be without at least four players for the game at Anfield, with Alisson Becker, Wataru Endo, Giovanni Leoni and Conor Bradley still out.
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Alisson suffered a fresh injury setback before the March international break and Slot revealed last week that the Brazilian won’t return to action until the latter end of the season. There is hope that he could be back for the trip to Manchester United at the start of next month.
Endo’s campaign was cut short after he picked up a season-ending food injury in the win against Sunderland in February. The Japan international, however, is targeting a return for this summer’s World Cup.
Leoni injured his Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) on his debut against Southampton in September 2025 and is set to be out until the start of next season. Bradley is another long-term absentee after suffering a serious knee problem in the goalless draw at Arsenal back in January.
Curtis Jones was forced off during Liverpool’s win over Fulham(Image: Getty Images)
Curtis Jones is the fifth Liverpool player that was thought to be set to miss the PSG second leg after the midfielder sustained a muscle injury in the 2-0 win against Fulham on Sunday. He went down off the ball late in the first-half and was seen nursing his groin before being replaced by Ryan Gravenberch.
Slot issued a worrying update when speaking about Jones post-Fulham, saying he doesn’t think the midfielder is going to be available to face PSG. He told Sky Sports: “He felt a little bit in his groin. It wasn’t a moment, he felt it already for a few minutes. Let’s hope for the best, but I would be surprised if he is available for Tuesday.”
But Jones was spotted training with his teammates ahead of the tie in a major boost for the Reds. He was among those being put through their paces at the AXA Training Centre on Monday lunchtime.
PSG, meanwhile, have been handed an injury boost going into the second leg with Bradley Barcola back in the squad. The France international had been sidelined for a month after suffering a severe ankle ligament sprain during the Champions League last 16 second leg at Chelsea.
But Barcola, who has missed PSG’s last three matches and France’s friendlies in the United States against Brazil and Colombia, has been named as part of the travelling squad for PSG’s trip to Merseyside.
But Fabian Ruiz and Quentin Ndjantou remain out, taking the list of potential absentees from both teams to seven. “The good news is that Fabian (Ruiz) is on the mend and training with the team,” Enrique said in his pre-match press conference, as he delivered an update on Ruiz’s condition.
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