Salah’s likely final Anfield
Liverpool host Paris Saint‑Germain in a Champions League quarterfinal second leg where Mohamed Salah is expected to start and media say it could be his last Champions League match at Anfield before he departs at season’s end. (beinsports.com) The match referee is Maurizio Mariani, a 44‑year‑old Italian who has held a FIFA license since 2019. (en.as.com)
Mohamed Salah is set to start against Paris Saint-Germain on Tuesday night in a Champions League match that could be his last at Anfield. (uefa.com) The quarterfinal second leg is at Anfield on April 14, with kickoff listed by Union of European Football Associations at 21:00 Central European Time. Paris Saint-Germain arrive with a 2-0 lead from the first leg after goals by Désiré Doué and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia in Paris. (uefa.com) Arne Slot said Liverpool must be “very, very special” to complete the comeback against the defending European champions. Luis Enrique said Paris Saint-Germain “didn't come here just to defend the result.” (uefa.com) The match carries extra weight because Liverpool announced on March 24 that Salah will leave at the end of the 2025-26 season. The club said the decision will end a nine-year spell that began when he joined from Roma in 2017. (liverpoolfc.com) Liverpool said Salah has 255 goals in 435 appearances, which places him third on the club’s all-time scoring list. The club also said he has won two Premier League titles, one Champions League, one Football Association Cup and two League Cups with Liverpool. (liverpoolfc.com) That record is part of why Anfield nights around Salah carry so much weight in Europe. Liverpool’s own count of his career numbers says he is tied for the club’s third-most European appearances and holds the Premier League record for most goal contributions for one club, with 281. (liverpoolfc.com) The tie also comes with recent history between these clubs. Union of European Football Associations says Paris Saint-Germain knocked Liverpool out at Anfield on penalties in last season’s round of 16 and have won both previous two-legged meetings between the sides. (uefa.com) Union of European Football Associations has appointed Maurizio Mariani of Italy to referee the match, according to multiple match-official listings and reports published ahead of the second leg. AS said Mariani is 44 and has held a Federation Internationale de Football Association license since 2019. (uefa.com, en.as.com) If Liverpool overturn the deficit, Salah gets at least one more European tie with the club. If they do not, Tuesday becomes the closing Anfield chapter of one of Liverpool’s most productive careers. (uefa.com, liverpoolfc.com)
