Liverpool arrive at the Parc des Princes this Wednesday for a monumental Champions League quarter-final first leg against Paris Saint-Germain, while there is a sense of desperation in the club. The Merseyside club are hunting for a result to keep their morale high after a crushing 4-0 FA Cup exit at the hands of Manchester City just days ago. It was a defeat that has left Arne Slot facing intense scrutiny over his future at Anfield.
This pivotal continental fixture is the last realistic hope of silverware in a season on the verge of collapsing entirely. The pressure on the squad to perform against the reigning European heavyweights has reached its peak, making this trip to France both a massive challenge and a potential turning point for the Dutch manager’s tenure.
Alexander Isak is back in training for Liverpool
According to recent reports, Alexander Isak has finally rejoined first-team training, handing Liverpool a much-needed boost before they fly out to the French capital. The Swedish striker has endured a gruelling 101-day absence after suffering a fractured fibula and serious ankle damage during a controversial challenge from Tottenham’s Micky van de Ven in December.
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Although he participated in sessions before the City match, Slot opted for caution; however, the manager confirmed on Friday that Isak might now be ready for a cameo against PSG. His return offers a spark for a frontline that has struggled to finish chances throughout a season defined by missed opportunities.
How has the season gone for him?
Before his long-term injury, the Premier League’s record signing had a stop-start beginning to his Liverpool career, making 17 total appearances across all competitions in the 2025/26 campaign. Footy stats indicate Isak scored twice in 10 Premier League games, while adding a single goal in his lone EFL Cup appearance against Southampton earlier in the autumn.
His European contributions remained limited, as he failed to find the net in five Champions League matches, though he maintained a respectable 80% passing accuracy during those fixtures. Despite these relatively modest numbers, his presence on the pitch remains vital for a team that have frequently underperformed their expected goals (xG) metrics this year.
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Scorzo’s Take
While bringing back a £100 million striker looks good on paper, relying on a player who hasn’t seen competitive action in four months to save a manager’s job feels like a gamble born of pure panic. Isak has world-class movement, but expecting him to break down a disciplined PSG defence after a single week of training is frankly delusional.
Slot seems to have lost the dressing room based on the defensive apathy shown at the Etihad, and no amount of attacking firepower can mask a backline that conceded four goals in twenty minutes. If the hierarchy thinks a half-fit Isak is the fix for their systemic failures, they are merely delaying the inevitable transition that this drifting squad requires.
Does Isak have the physical resilience to survive the intensity of a Champions League quarter-final so soon after a broken leg?
