Vitinha has seen enough of Liverpool to know that league tables and recent scorelines tell only half the story.
“Liverpool are Liverpool, even if they are not in ideal form. They are still a great team,” the Portuguese midfielder reminded reporters on Tuesday, on the eve of Paris Saint-Germain’s Champions League quarter-final first leg at the Parc des Princes.
Echoes of last season
This tie carries the weight of recent history. The same fixture, the same stage, almost the same stakes.
A year ago, Liverpool walked into Paris and snatched a 1-0 win, clinical and ruthless in a game PSG felt they controlled. Luis Enrique’s side hit back at Anfield by the same scoreline and then survived the penalty shoot-out, a nerve-shredding night that launched them towards a first-ever European crown. Liverpool consoled themselves by taking the Premier League.
“It was an incredible tie,” Vitinha said, still animated by the memory. The frustration lingers.
“There was a bit of frustration in the first match. I don't remember Liverpool having a chance apart from the goal they scored at the end. We played well and yet we still lost. I remember saying that by playing like that we could go to Liverpool and win.
“Fortunately we did that, but that was last year. This is a different year, there have been changes in the two teams. Lots of things happen in football in a year, and it will be a different game for sure.”
Different year, same edge. The sense of jeopardy remains.
Liverpool arrive wounded, not weak
On paper, Arne Slot’s Liverpool look vulnerable. They were dismantled 4-0 by Manchester City in the FA Cup quarter-finals at the weekend, a result that cut deep and raised questions about their physical and mental sharpness at the worst possible time.
They have managed just one win in their last five games in all competitions and sit fifth in the Premier League. For a club that measures itself by Champions League nights, next season’s place in the competition is anything but guaranteed.
Yet no one at PSG is buying the idea of a fading giant.
“It will be a great match here, and at Anfield, and tomorrow we will need to be at 100 percent. It will still be a very, very difficult game,” Vitinha insisted.
Liverpool’s problems have not erased their threat. They have reshaped it.
Ekitike’s Paris return
One of the clearest signs of that shift stands at the top of Liverpool’s team sheet. Hugo Ekitike, once a frustrated figure in Paris, now returns as Liverpool’s leading scorer with 17 goals this season and a genuine World Cup candidate for France.
For 18 months between 2022 and 2024, Ekitike never quite fit at PSG. The talent was obvious, the impact less so. He left with questions hanging over him. In England, those questions have been replaced by goals.
“Hugo is a fantastic guy. I enjoyed the year I spent with him. You could see the quality he had even if it wasn't the right context for him,” Vitinha said. The warmth in his voice stopped short of sentimentality.
“I wish him all the best except for these two matches.”
Ekitike’s return adds a personal subplot to a tie already loaded with narrative. If he scores in Paris, the symbolism will be hard to ignore.
PSG count the absences
Luis Enrique, meanwhile, must navigate the first leg without two of his key pieces.
Spain midfielder Fabian Ruiz has still not recovered sufficiently from the knee injury that has sidelined him since January. He has yet to rejoin full training, and the coach cut through any speculation with a blunt assessment.
“Fabian has not yet trained with the squad, so how can he play? He has improved a lot and we are very happy. That shows he is on the right road but he still has some way to go.”
On the flanks, PSG are also set to be without Bradley Barcola, one of the breakout performers of their 8-2 aggregate demolition of Chelsea in the previous round. The winger has returned to training but is not expected to be risked.
“We are trying to find the best conditions for the player and he needs to tell us when he is ready,” Luis Enrique said, making it clear that long-term fitness will not be gambled away for one night, however big.
Those absences strip some of PSG’s depth, but they do not alter the expectation inside the Parc: to seize control of the tie at home.
No favourites in a knife-edge tie
Outside the dressing rooms, the narrative leans towards PSG. They are the reigning European champions, playing the first leg at home, facing a Liverpool side still searching for rhythm and certainty.
Luis Enrique rejected that storyline with a shake of the head.
“It is impossible to say one team is the favourite,” he said. “Last year everyone said Liverpool were the favourites, and the team that went through was Paris Saint-Germain.”
That memory hangs over this contest. One year ago, Liverpool arrived with the aura of inevitability and left with regret. Now PSG carry the crown and the burden that comes with it.
Vitinha’s words cut through the noise. Respect for Liverpool. No illusions about the task. No comfort in past glories.
Liverpool are wounded, yes. But they are still Liverpool. And in the Champions League, that remains a warning, not a reassurance.
