On Wednesday, Paris Saint-Germain will host Liverpool in the first leg of the Champions League last 16.
Ahead of the European tie, Le Parisien got in touch with Mamadou Sakho, who has been with Georgian side FC Torpedo Kutaisi since the summer.
Sakho graduated from PSG’s youth system and represented their first team for six years before joining Liverpool in 2013.
The centre-back made 80 appearances for the Reds during his time at Anfield and has talked about the difference between Liverpool and PSG.
He had an affection towards the Premier League club even from this time in Paris. Sakho has talked about this when explaining what makes Anfield special.
“The words that come to mind when I think of this stadium are love of the shirt and history. First of all, the stands are close to the pitch. There, you feel what it means to be the 12th man. It really is a mythical and special stadium,” he said.
“In fact, it’s as if there were a special gas in the atmosphere that means anything can happen and nothing is impossible.
“I wasn’t surprised when I arrived because, when I was playing in Paris, Liverpool was my favourite English team. I loved that club. In fact, in my mind, after PSG, there was also Liverpool. I knew the club had a long history and that impressed me. For a player, it’s obviously exciting to be part of a club like that.”
Arne Slot’s secured a place in the Champions League last 16 by finishing on top of the group stage. The French club on the other hand, had to overcome Brest in the play-off to make it to round of 16.
Sakho knows what it’s like to play for these two clubs and was asked what to expect from the two-legged tie between Liverpool and PSG. When responding to that, he made it clear it’s difficult for him to pick one of them.
“PSG have built a team that is going from strength to strength, despite all the criticism we heard at the start of the season. You can see that coach Luis Enrique had a vision,” Sakho explained.
“Frankly, it’s really 50-50 between the two and a pleasure to watch. It could all come down to an acceleration from Dembélé, Barcola or Salah. Or an outburst by Hakimi or Alexander-Arnold. And it could also be the crowd that makes the difference.
“The atmosphere at the Parc des Princes is special too. The Liverpool players will have to be ready to withstand it. And conversely, I already know that the Parisians will remember the second leg in Liverpool.
“Whether they win or lose. Because a match there is a unique experience. When you play there, you never forget it. The winner of this match won’t be the only favourite for the final victory, but it will leave a mark on everyone’s minds. And my heart won’t be in one place. I would feel as red as I would feel blue.”
Liverpool and PSG are currently comfortably leading the Premier League and the Ligue 1 tables respectively.
