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Life moves pretty fast. You don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it. When Liverpool were drawn against Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League 11 months ago, they were strong favourites to beat a side who finished 14 places below them in the league phase. Right there, right then, Liverpool looked the best team in Europe – but PSG beat them on penalties after a fascinating struggle and never looked back.
A year on, few people give Liverpool a prayer against the reigning champions, who again seem to be peaking at the perfect time. Liverpool are not so much peaking as lurching; their results this season make a Jackson Pollock look neat and tidy by comparison. After a promising start at the Etihad on Saturday, they collapsed to a 4-0 defeat. If their heads drop as quickly tonight, things could get ugly.
Then again, we thought things were going to get phenomenally ugly at half-time in Istanbul. The Champions League music tends to stiffen the sinews of Liverpool players, particularly when they are underdogs. Arne Slot would love his own little miracle in the city of light.
