Arne Slot has so often been at pains to point out just how close Liverpool came to knocking PSG out of last season’s Champions League that it has become a running joke amongst the fanbase.
But amid the smirks and the laughs, it has been somewhat overlooked that the Reds really did push Luis Enrique’s team all the way in 2025.
As they prepare to face each other in the Champions League once again, Slot has good reason to believe that Hugo Ekitike can be the decisive new factor to tip the tie in Liverpool‘s favour.
Discuss: Arne Slot could win Liverpool fans back if he keeps showing passion on the touchline
There was much more energy vs Galatasaray, could that change things?
Hugo Ekitike has a point to prove vs PSG
When Liverpool faced PSG last term, Ekitike was in good form for Eintracht Frankfurt, looking ahead to a potential summer move.
This time, the Frenchman heads into the tie as Liverpool’s top goalscorer and biggest attacking threat.
Not only is Ekitike a danger against any team – as he showed once again with an electric display against Galatasaray – but he has a real point to prove against PSG.
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Signed by the Parisians as a 20-year-old following his breakout with Reims, Ekitike was quickly discarded amongst the big-name talents of Lionel Messi, Neymar and Kylian Mbappe.
Thierry Henry praised Ekitike for bouncing back as the pair spoke following Wednesday’s win for Liverpool, and the 23-year-old will surely be desperate to show his former employers just what they missed when they let him leave.
“It’s going to be a special game for me, coming back there. I can’t wait,” Liverpool’s No. 22 told CBS Sports Golazo in the wake of Liverpool’s win over Galatasaray.
Ekitike also has the added incentive of trying to win a place in France’s World Cup squad for this summer. If he can impress in his country’s capital, he will go a long way towards doing that.
Ekitike can underline Darwin Nunez difference
When Liverpool faced PSG last year, they did so relying on the fading goal-scoring prowess of Darwin Nunez.
By then, the Uruguayan was no longer a regular starter for Slot, with the Liverpool head coach deciding to pick the late Diogo Jota instead.
Who was your Man of the Match in Liverpool’s rout of Galatasaray? 💪
Jota struggled badly in the first-leg in Paris, and did not look himself in the Anfield match either, but it is in his difference to Nunez which Ekitike can really be the deciding factor here.
The former No. 9 missed a crucial penalty in the shootout. Had Ekitike been the man over the ball from 12 yards, the outcome would surely have been different.
There is a chance Alexander Isak is fit to play against PSG, but the Swede will surely not be ready to start.
As a result, Ekitike, along with Florian Wirtz, will be the man tasked with bringing something different to what PSG experienced from Liverpool last season. His will to shine and show his former employers how far he has come could be the key to a positive result for the Reds.
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