PSG 2-1 Liverpool LIVE: James Milner PENALTY; Champions League score and latest updates

PSG vs Liverpool: Champions League LIVE score, goals and updates from Paris

PSG XI: Buffon, Kehrer, Silva, Kimpembe, Bernat, Marquinhos, Verratti, Di Maria, Neymar, Cavani, Mbappe

Liverpool XI: Alisson, Gomez, Lovren, Van Dijk, Robertson, Milner, Henderson, Wijnaldum, Mane, Salah, Firmino

PSG 2-1 LIVERPOOL | BERNAT (13), NEYMAR (36), MILNER (45)

• Liverpool will qualify for the knockout stages with a win tonight
• PSG full-back Juan Bernat opens the scoring
• Neymar converts after Alisson saves Cavani effort
• James Milner converts penalty

PSG 2-1 LIVERPOOL

66: I really don’t understand this Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting thing. The relegated Stoke star comes on to replace Edinson Cavani for the remaining 25 minutes. Bizarre.

Dani Alves is also on for Angel Di Maria.

63: Leonardo DiCaprio is in the stands tonight. He’s wearing sun glasses and hasn’t moved an inch since kick off. Can someone give him a prod and check he’s alive?

60: Couldn’t guide the header! Robertson drills a cross from the left and Firmino improvises with a glancing header that flies wide of the target. It’s 3-1 between Napoli and Red Star Belgrade by the way. Unlikely Carlo Ancelotti’s side will let that slip.

57: Kimpembe successfully going Thomas Tuchel and half the Parc De Princes a heart attack when trying to wriggle his way past Mohamed Salah and Roberto Firmino inside his own penalty area. It’s eventually booted into orbit.

54: Louis van Gaal described Neymar as ‘too individualistic’ in an interview earlier today. That’s obviously a nice way of saying his a greedy boy and NOT a team player. He’s just demonstrated it by taking a free-kick from an impossible scoring position. Straight at the wall.

51: Goodness me these PSG players love a moan. Di Maria is down off the ball and I don’t think anyone touched him. Didn’t stop them from surrounding the referee.

48: Disallowed goal! PSG think they’ve added a third but Marquinhos was standing in an offside position when he poked home Di Maria’s free-kick. Correct decision at first glance.

PSG 2-1 LIVERPOOL

45: And we’re back underway at the mad house. No changes for either side at the break.

Incidentally, Liverpool were sent out two or three minutes before PSG. People always say that means they are more fired up than the opposition – bad time keeping if you ask me!

PSG 2-1 LIVERPOOL

HT: What a ridiculously huge lifeline for Liverpool. Jurgen Klopp’s side have been second best but take a rather workable one-goal deficit in with them at the break. Will that galvanise the visitors?

PSG 2-1 LIVERPOOL | MILNER

46: James Milner is cool as a cucumber when sending Gianluigi Buffon the wrong way to reduce the deficit on the stroke of half time.

PENALTY TO LIVERPOOL

44: Well that quite frankly is staggering. Angel Di Maria with possibly the stupidest tackle inside the penalty area on Sadio Mane sees the visitors awarded a penalty.

The referee initially don’t give it, but after a few moments and perhaps a few words from his fellow officials – It’s a penalty.

41: Quite a few people tucking into Dejan Lovren for his inability to deal with Neymar, Kylian Mbappe and Edinson Cavani. OK, he was out of position but an attack that sharp will do that to most defenders.

Liverpool crying out for some inspiration. Could this be Naby Keita’s moment?

39: Jurgen Klopp is angrily barking something out on the bench. He’s livid with his sides display in the opening 40 minutes.

Remember, If they lose in Paris, Liverpool can still go through if they beat Napoli by more than two goals in the final group stage fixture.

PSG 2-0 LIVERPOOL | NEYMAR

36: Liverpool couldn’t cope with the pace, speed and accuracy of the PSG attack and find themselves trailing 2-0.

It’s been very unlike the Reds this season, but they are continually playing the ball backwards and they are caught on the counter.

The ball is given away in midfield to Neymar, who feeds Kylian Mbappe down the right. Alisson saves from Edinson Cavani’s initial flick, before Neymar converts the rebound.

35: Referee Szymon Marciniak shows Joe Gomez a yellow card for a late challenge on Neymar, who predictable falls to the floor in agony. Quickly back to his feet though…

32: Save! Alisson with a vital interception. Neymar slips the ball down the left to Bernat, whose cross is inches from being converted by Kylian Mbappe.

Neymar then looks for a Cantona-esque chip over the Liverpool stopper but it glides into his gloves.

29: Bernat cynically brings down Salah. It looks a good chance for Van Dijk and Co to trundle forward but It’s taken quickly and the chances goes begging.

26: What a chaotic match. Neither side are retaining the ball for any significant period with full-blooded challenges going in all over the place. Mohamed Salah and Firmino have struggled to keep hold of the ball in particular.

24: Booked! Naughty from Marco Verratti, who goes in high and late on Joe Gomez. Easily a red on another night but the referee goes with yellow. Baffling really.

21: Slight improvement from Liverpool, who are playing higher up the field now. James Milner picks out Mohamed Salah. The Egyptian’s effort is drilled wide of Buffon’s near-post.

18: PSG are very impressive in how quickly they move the ball. It’s a totally different attitude to the one they turned up with against the Reds in September – and I think It’s caught the visitors cold.

15: Liverpool are rattled here and look vulnerable to a quick-fire second. Wijnaldum fouls Neymar and collects a booking, while the Brazilian jumps to his feet to curl the resulting free-kick wide.

PSG 1-0 LIVERPOOL | BERNAT

13: It has been a superb start for Paris St-Germain, and they deservedly take the lead through full-back Juan Bernat.

Marco Verratti is the architect when releasing Kylian Mbappe down the right touchline. His cross isn’t cleared with any conviction and Bernat picks up the loose ball before slotting beyond Alisson.

Add some salt to the wounds? Napoli are ahead against Red Star Belgrade.

10: Save! Angel di Maria’s curling effort nearly catches Alisson off-guard but the Brazilian scurries back to his line and flicks it over the crossbar.

The offside flag comes to Liverpool’s rescue as Thiago Silva drifts behind Virgil van Dijk with only the goalkeeper to beat. Alisson saved it anyway, actually. False alarm.

8: Kylian Mbappe definitely isn’t injured. Looks super sharp if you ask me. Neymar probably the more sluggish of the pair – but also looks in good nick.

5: Woosh! It’s all going off in Paris tonight. PSG are looking to play at 100mph with Kylian Mbappe surging onto Verratti’s pass and dragging wide.

3: PSG nearly get off to the perfect start when a speculative punt nearly finds Neymar down the left channel. He couldn’t control it and Alisson collects. Early warning for the visitors.

PSG 0-0 LIVERPOOL

1: OK, we’re ready for an absolute barnstormer! James Milner looks particularly eager to get stuck into Neymar and Kylian Mbappe – who might not be 100 percent…

Predictions?

19:58: While the Champions League anthem rings around the Parc des Princes – I’d better ask for your predictions. As you know I’ve gone for a 3-1 PSG win, but I suspect I’m one of the few going for that!

‘Cheeky’

19:54: Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp tells BT Sport: “Playing in Paris is already big enough and you see the opponent, it is even bigger. We are quite a good football team so all good.

“We need to show up, be there, be positive, be aggressive in a legal way and we are ready to block what they are going to do. We are ready to be cheeky.

“Trent Alexander-Arnold played brilliant in the first game but it is about using the fresh legs of Joe Gomez and he is slightly more of a defender which makes sense against these boys. We know the system but then we will see on the pitch. Not a lot of changes but still happy with the team.”

Atletico through

19:49: Well, Diego Simone’s Atletico Madrid have done the business against Thierry Henry’s Monaco. 2-0.

The result means they have qualified for the knockout stages along with Ajax, Barcelona, Bayern Munich, Juventus, Manchester City, Manchester United, Real Madrid and Roma.

Wanted: Dominic Solanke

19:45: Huddersfield are involved in a three-way battle to sign Liverpool striker Dominic Solanke, reports claim.

The 21-year-old, who arrived from Chelsea in July 2017, hasn’t featured in any Premier League fixture under Jurgen Klopp this campaign.

And having struggled to establish himself in the first team – reports claim he could leave on a six-month loan deal.

Sky Sports claim Huddersfield, Crystal Palace and West Ham are looking to sign Solanke to help with their respective fights against relegation.

What do you think? Surely he’s got to be given first-team experience elsewhere.

Stat proof?

19:40: Since the start of last season, Liverpool have scored more Champions League goals than any other side (48). 73% of these have been scored by either Mo Salah (12), Roberto Firmino (12) or Sadio Mane (11).

Well I guess Buffon must be right…

Best attack?

19:35: Mo Salah, Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino are BETTER than the front three of Paris Saint-Germain.

That’s the astonishing claim made by legendary goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon.

“Throughout my career I have always wanted to test myself against the best — and at the moment you really can’t think of any teams in Europe who have a better front three than Liverpool,” Buffon said.

He added: “This season, I see the favourites for the Champions League as Barcelona, Juventus, and Manchester City.

“Liverpool as well have a big chance.”

Idiots

19:30: Napoli will be “idiots” if they do not qualify for the knockout stages of the Champions League, says Carlo Ancelotti.

Last year’s Serie A runners-up will clinch their place in the last 16 with a match to spare if they beat Red Star Belgrade at home and PSG fail to win their match at home to Liverpool.

“This group seemed almost impossible at the start but we’re in a very good position,” he said. “We’ve baked a very good cake and now we just need to put the icing on the top. If we don’t get through, we will be proper idiots.”

Baking a cake? Proper idiots? Ancelotti is slowly morphing into Jamie Oliver.

YouTube ‘em

19:25: Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp insists he has no fears over his players handling a fit-again Neymar and Kylian Mbappe as they have watched them “500,000 times on YouTube”.

Klopp’s side managed to keep them quiet for most of their first meeting at Anfield and he is confident they can do the same again.

“It is much more difficult to prepare a game when my players don’t know an opponent, which happens from time to time,” said Klopp.

“We give them videos but this generation probably watch 500,000 YouTube videos of Mbappe, Neymar and Edinson Cavani and they know about their individual strengths more than I do.”

Battle Royal

19:20: My esteemed colleague (he made me write that) Marc Williams and I have created our own predictions game.

Now there’s nothing on the line other than pride and bragging rights… but for some reason I want to win more than anything in the universe.

The rules are fairly convoluted, but needless to say we pick the score and first goalscorer for each team (defender = 3pts, midfielder 2pts, striker 1pt).

We’ve also added the dreaded ‘dot of doom’ which is the first goal scored from any of the 8pm KO’s. Finally, the asterisk is worth double points.

I took an absolute pounding yesterday so I’ve gone all defenders to make up the points. Picture below.

Twitter round-up

Tom: A draw in Paris would be a good result for Liverpool, for sure. But the group is so tight that every point counts.

Richard: With the inclusion of Henderson you feel Klopp would gladly settle for a draw. I can’t say I disagree with him.

ARP: Klopp has gone for grit rather than glamour. A trio of Milner-Hendo-Gini will ensure graft and effort, but will lack flair. Is it enough to see off PSG tonight though?

Team news

19:10: Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp made two changes for the crucial Champions League tie against PSG in the French capital.

Joe Gomez replaced Trent Alexander-Arnold at right-back with James Milner coming into midfield alongside captain Jordan Henderson at the expense of Xherdan Shaqiri.

As expected, PSG named Neymar and Kylian Mbappe in their side after both overcame injuries sustained on international duty.

Elsewhere…

19:05: Tottenham are also in action tonight – and they really in a must-win situation.

Spurs need to beat Inter Milan at Wembley to retain a chance of qualification.

If they do so, the London side would need to better Inter Milan’s result against PSV Eindhoven when they take on Barcelona at the Nou Camp in their final group game.

Other fixtures include; Borussia Dortmund vs Club Brugge, Porto vs Schalke, Napoli vs Red Star Belgrade, PSV vs Barcelona.

Favourites

19:00: Just saw quite an interesting tweet about our potential Champions League winners.

“In all the the talk of Barca, City and Juve I feel as if Atletico Madrid are getting lost in the shuffle as genuine contenders here. The final is at their stadium the Wanda Metropolitano, they have strength in depth and one of the smartest tactical minds out there. If I was a betting man, my money’d be on them.”

It’s a good point, but Diego Simeone’s side are 12/1 with PaddyPower – I’m not sure that’s generous enough for me.

Manchester City are favourites at 7/2 with Barcelona close behind at 5/1. Surely Manchester United are worth a crack at 40/1? No? Just me…

Away-day blues

18:55: Liverpool have been exceptional in the Premier League this season but it has been a different story in Europe.

Away defeats in Napoli and Red Star Belgrade have come as a shock and a similar story in Paris could leave last season’s finalists in danger of crashing out at the group stage.

Paris St-Germain – beaten 3-2 at Anfield in September – need a win to keep their own qualification hopes alive and star men Neymar and Kylian Mbappe are fit after the pair missed the weekend win over Toulouse through injury.

Twitter round-up

Dean: Jordan Henderson? After his eighth poor game in a row at the weekend? Fair play Jurgen Klopp for making the Napoli game at Anfield a must win match!

AK: Strong team. I wish VVD had the armband though, seems to be a natural leader.

Wish: No creativity in that midfield, Trent out when he could’ve exposed PSG’s left with Salah. Literally our only creative players are Robertson, who’s good at crossing, and Firmino.

The starting XI…

18:45: And here come the line-ups. Joe Gomez and James Milner for Trent Alexander-Arnold and Xherdan Shaqiri. Neymar and Kylian Mbappe both start.

PSG XI: Buffon, Kehrer, Silva, Kimpembe, Bernat, Marquinhos, Verratti, Di Maria, Neymar, Cavani, Mbappe.

Liverpool XI: Alisson, Gomez, Lovren, Van Dijk, Robertson, Milner, Henderson, Wijnaldum, Mane, Salah, Firmino.

Subs: Mignolet, Fabinho, Keita, Sturridge, Shaqiri, Matip, Alexander-Arnold.

Twitter round-up

Neil: If you had to pick just one which would you choose, beat PSG tonight but lose the derby or lose tonight but beat Everton at the weekend?

Kenny: Toughest XI to predict of this season so far. Assuming Mane is ok, I think the big decisions will be Gomez at RB with Lovren in and Gini as the third midfielder instead of Shaqiri. Hard to call the other two CM’s, I’d probably go with Hendo-Keita.

Jonathan: Surely we need to see a return of the full court press tonight. Don’t think we can afford to sit back in this one.

Oh I’m not wading into that debate, Neil. Talk amongst yourselves.

Permutations

18:35: OK, no messing around like my girlfriend’s father reading a menu at every restaurant we visit. Sorry, I don’t know where that came from…

Anyway, Liverpool will qualify if they beat PSG in Paris. If they draw, the Merseyside team would need to equal or better PSG’s result in the final game to secure a spot in the last 16.

If they lose in Paris, Liverpool can still go through if they beat Napoli by more than two goals in the final group stage fixture.

Basically, win and we won’t have to study all these permutations.

Evening…

18:30: Hello everyone and welcome to our LIVE Champions League coverage.

Or…

Bonjour à tous et bienvenue dans notre couverture LIVE Champions League.

That’s just a little bit of my GCSE French for any french-speaking PSG supporters viewing our blog this evening. All two of them…

Moving swiftly on, Liverpool visit PSG tonight with their hopes of making the last 16 of the Champions League very much in the balance.

Should be a terrific night of European action – I say that with complete confidence because any match following Manchester United’s 1-0 win over Young Boys is going to be a masterpiece.

PSG vs LIVERPOOL

Liverpool forward Sadio Mane and defender Joe Gomez have both travelled to France to face PSG in the Champions League.

Mane had been ill but trained with the squad at Melwood on Tuesday morning, as did Gomez who has shaken off a minor ankle problem which kept him out of the weekend win over Watford.

Adam Lallana, Dominic Solanke and Nathaniel Clyne are still absent but manager Jurgen Klopp has called up Rafael Camacho from the under-23 squad.

Liverpool provisional squad: Alisson, Alexander-Arnold, Gomez, Van Dijk, Robertson, Henderson, Wijnaldum, Milner, Salah, Firmino, Mane, Mignolet, Gomez, Matip, Lovren, Moreno, Keita, Fabinho, Shaqiri, Sturridge, Camacho.