Liverpool will host PSV Eindhoven in a UEFA Champions League clash at Anfield on Wednesday, desperate to bounce back from their disappointing run of form.
Liverpool have lost four of their last six matches in all competitions, and they are under a lot of pressure ahead of the game vs PSV Eindhoven. The Premier League champions are struggling with a lack of confidence and momentum, and the latest setback was a 3-0 defeat to Nottingham Forest.
Meanwhile, the visitors have picked up just one win from four UEFA Champions League matches thus far in the 2025/26 season, and they will be desperate to bounce back strongly. They will look to take advantage of Liverpool’s vulnerabilities and pile further misery on them. The away side are coming into this game on the back of five wins and a draw from their last six matches.
It will be interesting to see if they can pull off an upset here. Liverpool have three wins from four matches in the Champions League, and it remains to be seen whether they can pick up another victory here. The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at the encounter ahead of the latest meeting between the two sides.
Team News & Tactics
Liverpool
Arne Slot will be without Giovanni Leoni, Conor Bradley, and Florian Wirtz this week. Liverpool are likely to shape up in a 4-3-3 formation vs PSV Eindhoven on Wednesday night, with Alisson Becker in goal.
Calvin Ramsay and Andrew Robertson will start as the full-backs. They will look to help out at both ends of the pitch. Meanwhile, Ibrahima Konate will form the central defensive partnership alongside Virgil van Dijk.
As for the midfield unit, there is no looking past Alexis Mac Allister, Ryan Gravenberch, and Dominik Szoboszlai in the middle of the park. They will look to control the game from the deep and add defensive cover.
Mohamed Salah and Cody Gakpo will start on the flanks here. They will look to add goals and creativity from the wide areas. Finally, Hugo Ekitike will lead the line for Liverpool vs PSV Eindhoven at Anfield on Wednesday.
Probable Lineup (4-3-3): Alisson; Ramsay, Konate, van Dijk, Robertson; Mac Allister, Szoboszlai, Gravenberch; Salah, Ekitike, Gakpo
PSV Eindhoven
The visitors are without Alassane Plea, who is recovering from cartilage damage. Ruben van Bommel remains out with a knee injury. PSV Eindhoven will shape up in their usual 4-2-3-1 formation vs Liverpool, with Matej Kovar in goal.
As for the defensive unit, Sergino Dest, Jerdy Schouten, Yarek Gasiorowski, and Anass Salah-Eddine will form the four-man backline. Dest and Salah-Eddine will look to help out defensively and hit Liverpool on the break.
Mauro Junior and Joey Veerman will continue as the double pivot. They will look to break up the opposition, attacking moves. Dennis Man, Ismael Saibari and Ivan Perisic will start behind the striker, and they will look to create opportunities for Guus Til in the final third.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Kovar; Dest, Schouten, Gasiorowski, Salah-Eddine; Junior, Veerman; Man, Saibari, Perisic; Til
Key Stats
- PSV Eindhoven are unbeaten in the last six matches in all competitions.
- Liverpool have lost four of the last six matches in all competitions.
- Liverpool conceded six goals without reply in the last two matches.
- PSV have scored 21 goals in the last six matches in all competitions.
- Liverpool have won each of their last 13 UEFA Champions League home games in the group stage/league phase, beating Real Madrid 1-0 on Matchday 4 to set the outright longest such run by a Premier League side. The Reds have actually only lost once at Anfield across their last 25 group matches in this competition, 2-0 vs Atalanta in November 2020 (W21 D3).
Player to Watch
Hugo Ekitike
The French international is likely to be handed a start here after being benched at the weekend. Ekitike has been Liverpool’s best attacker this season, and they will depend on him to produce a strong performance.
Liverpool need him to step up and deliver in the final third. He will look to create opportunities for his teammates and find the back of the net as well. Liverpool will be desperate to pick up all three points here, and they need the French attacker to step up and deliver.
Prediction
Liverpool 2-1 PSV Eindhoven
The visitors are in better form, and they will look to make life difficult for the home team. Liverpool are struggling right now, and their performances have been quite underwhelming. However, they have done reasonably well in the UEFA Champions League so far. The Reds managed to beat Real Madrid in the last European outing.
The hosts have a better team on paper, and it will be interesting to see if they can raise their performance levels here. Both teams are likely to get on the score sheet, but Liverpool have more depth in the attacking unit, and they should be able to grind out a narrow victory at home. The Hard Tackle predicts a hard-fought 2-1 win for Arne Slot and his charges.