Liverpool will have to play a lot better this week against PSG than it did last week if Harvey Elliott's goal and Alisson Becker's heroics are going to count for anything in the context of the Champions League last-16 tie.
But with a lead to hold onto and home advantage to come into play, some of the comments from PSG's side after the first leg at the Parc des Princes feel like they have the potential to come back to bite.
Sure, Liverpool was outplayed in France. At home, though, with a lead to hold onto, it should be a completely different game. If nothing else, the Reds' attackers — the likes of Mohamed Salah and Luis Diaz — are unlikely to be stifled quite as much. As PSG is forced to come out and commit bodies forward in search of an equalizer in the tie, there will be gaps to exploit.
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In Paris, Diaz and Salah failed to hold the ball up and Diogo Jota struggled to get involved. The chances of that happening again, regardless of whether Cody Gakpo is fit enough to feature, are slim.
"We're going to show what kind of team we are. It's been a long time since we lost, it's up to us to show our personality and our strength," midfielder Vitinha said immediately after the defeat to Liverpool on Wednesday night. "We're going to go there, we're going to play a great game, we're going to score and we're going to go through, I'm sure of it."
Liverpool, too, though will want to show the kind of team it is. It had a record-low percentage of possession last week, and Alisson made a record-high number of saves. Even if PSG plays as well again at Anfield, the Reds will be able to cope significantly better.
A report in L’Equipe claimed Gianluigi Donnarumma was told post-match by a teammate: "Don't worry, we'll qualify." Publicly, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, Achraf Hakimi and Willian Pacho said similar after the first leg, while head coach Luis Enrique has sent mixed messages about being confident one minute and then trying to play that down the next.
PSG, however, doesn't have much evidence in Europe, while Liverpool has plenty. Arne Slot is at the helm now rather than Jurgen Klopp, but Alisson, Salah, Andy Robertson, Virgil van Dijk and more have been here before. Only one of the two teams has a track record in the Champions League when it comes to going far.
This is a newer, younger, and more vibrant PSG, but it is one that is still learning. Being quite so public with its confidence, for instance, shows a level of naivety, and it wouldn't be the first team to speak loudly before facing Liverpool before returning with its tail between its legs.
In two of the last five editions of the Champions League, PSG has crashed out in the last-16 — primarily because it failed to top its group and therefore faced Bayern Munich and Real Madrid, but still of its own doing.
Earlier in this season's competition, it lost to Arsenal, Atletico Madrid and Bayern Munich, with its defeats coming when it has been tested the most. Last year, it beat Real Sociedad and Barcelona but then fell at the semi-final stage to Borussia Dortmund. It is hardly the record of a team that should be convinced it will come to Anfield and definitely win.
PSG might still progress in the tie against Liverpool. The best team the Reds have faced this season could turn up at Anfield and put on a show. For the sake of avoiding some major embarrassment given the unfounded level of confidence it has, though, it probably needs to.
