GIRONA, SPAIN - Tuesday, December 10, 2024: Liverpool's Mohamed Salah celebrates after scoring the opening goal from a penalty kick during the UEFA Champions League Matchday 6 game between Girona FC and Liverpool FC at the Estadi Montilivi. (Photo by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)

Liverpool near best-ever European run as Arne Slot faces PSV for 27th time!

With Arne Slot to face PSV Eindhoven for the 27th time in his career, Liverpool are edging closer to their best-ever run of results in the Champions League.

Liverpool last played PSV in 2008, when they won 3-1 thanks to goals from Ryan Babel, Albert Riera and David N’Gog.

Slot, though, is far more familiar with the Dutch giants, having faced them 26 times across his career as a player and manager.

 

Close to Liverpool’s European best

MILAN, ITALY - Tuesday, September 17, 2024: Liverpool's Ibrahima Konaté (C) celebrates with team-mate Trent Alexander-Arnold (R) after scoring his side's first equalising goal with a header during the UEFA Champions League game between AC Milan and Liverpool FC at the Stadio San Siro. Liverpool won 3-1. (Photo by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)

Liverpool are looking to record their best-ever sequence of eight wins in a row in the Champions League era.

Their record number of consecutive victories in Europe is nine, set from November 1983 to October 1984.

A defeat at the Philips Stadion would be Liverpool’s 100th in European competition, including single-match tie penalty shoot-outs.

Slot’s men are the only team to have won all seven Champions League games this season. They are guaranteed to finish first or second and will take a top-seeding position moving forward.

It means that should they go all the way, they could not meet the other top-two seed until the final. One of Barcelona, Arsenal or Internazionale will finish in the top two.

Liverpool have conceded just two goals in their seven games in the Champions League this season. Only Inter (1) have conceded fewer in the competition so far.

 

A familiar foe for Arne Slot

Arne Slot, Sparta Rotterdam - GBDPYA Soccer - Dutch Eredivisie - Feyenoord v Sparta Rotterdam - De Kuip Stadion (PA Images / Alamy Stock Photo)

Slot has faced PSV coach Peter Bosz four times in his career, winning once almost a year ago to the day in the Dutch Cup – a 1-0 victory with Quinten Timber scoring in Rotterdam.

Slot has faced PSV Eindhoven as a coach on nine occasions – the first with AZ Alkmaar and the rest with Feyenoord – and has an equal amount of wins, draws and defeats (three each). His teams have failed to score only once.

Slot will take charge against PSV for the 10th time in his career, the most he has faced a single club along with Heerenveen.

At the Philips Stadion, Slot has won twice in four visits – winning 4-0 in each of his first two trips, with AZ Alkmaar in 2019 and Feyenoord in September 2021. He drew his last visit, 2-2 in March 2024.

Slot faced PSV as a player 17 times, winning twice. He also scored two goals, both coming in draws.

 

This season’s scorers

MILAN, ITALY - Tuesday, September 17, 2024: Liverpool's Darwin Núñez (L) and Mohamed Salah during the UEFA Champions League game between AC Milan and Liverpool FC at the Stadio San Siro. Liverpool won 3-1. (Photo by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)

PSV: Pepi 16, De Jong 13, Tillman 11, Til 10, Saibari 7, Bakayoko 7, Lang 6, Lozano 5, Perisic 4, Driouech 2, Flamingo 2, Schouten 2, Boscagli 1, Ledezma 1, Veerman 1, own goals 7

Liverpool: Salah 23, Gakpo 14, Diaz 12, Jota 8, Nunez 6, Szoboszlai 4, Jones 3, Mac Allister 3, Alexander-Arnold 2, Elliott 2, Konate 2, Van Dijk 2, Chiesa 1, Danns 1


* Stats courtesy of LFC statistician Ged Rea (@ged0407).