Liverpool seek bounce as they face Marseille in Champions League

LONDON – Liverpool manager Arne Slot will look to put aside some domestic woes as he prepares for his team’s Champions League trip to French side Marseille on Jan 21.

The Reds drew 1-1 with relegation-threatened Burnley in the English Premier League on Jan 17, their fourth straight league stalemate as they sit in fourth place.

Slot will now turn his attention to Europe and their next fixture against Marseille, who are seeking a third consecutive win in the Champions League, at the Stade Velodrome.

Ahead of the matches on Jan 20, Liverpool were ninth in the league phase standings, with their opponents 16th but just three points behind Slot’s men, highlighting the importance of the clash as both aim to make the last 16.

Reds striker Hugo Ekitike is looking forward to the challenge, telling broadcaster Canal Plus: “I am excited to play this match. Marseille are a club that I have watched since I was young… as well as Paris.”

The former Paris Saint-Germain player added: “I love the Velodrome. It is a magnificent stadium with crazy supporters. I think I’ll be welcomed well. There is no hate. I have always liked Marseille.”

Liverpool are on a 12-match unbeaten streak in all competitions but Slot and his players would probably not be celebrating much after they made unwanted history following the Burnley match.

The Reds are the first reigning Premier League champions to fail to win any of their three home league matches against newly promoted teams in a single season.

Slot will also be concerned that his team had 11 shots on target and Dominik Szoboszlai’s missed penalty against Burnley but just a 1-1 draw to show for it. Mohamed Salah, though, could be back in the fold sooner rather than later to help out the attack.

“Next week (Salah will return),” the Liverpool manager said last week. “He will be back with us. We are talking together about (the Marseille game) now.”

Marseille, led by former Brighton & Hove Albion boss Roberto de Zerbi, have defeated Newcastle United and PSV Eindhoven in this campaign.

The French side are aiming for three straight Champions League wins for the first time since 2010-11, as they reunite with Liverpool since their last clashes in 2008-09.

In that match, the Reds won 2-1 on the road before a 1-0 home win under Rafael Benitez.

Elsewhere on Jan 21, fellow Premier League side Chelsea will host Cypriot team Pafos FC at Stamford Bridge as the Blues compete in their fourth different competition in the space of four games.

Before this round of fixtures, Liam Rosenior’s men sat in 13th place having dropped points against Bayern Munich, Atalanta and Qarabag, but were two points off the top eight automatic spots for the last 16 and just three points off PSG who were third.

The Chelsea manager will, however, be boosted by their 2-0 Premier League win over Brentford on Jan 17 and the fact that his team are on a 21-match scoring run in European matches.

Rosenior will take charge of his first Champions League match with the Blues, who have three wins, one draw and two defeats under former manager Enzo Maresca.

“Our target is still the same, to reach the highest possible in every competition. We need to keep working hard and in the end we will see where we finish,” said Brazilian forward Joao Pedro.

Meanwhile, Rosenior has said that he has a “clear idea of the way I want the game to be played”.

He added: “My job is to create an atmosphere and environment where people enjoy what they do. If you enjoy what you do, you perform better, and if you perform better, you end up winning games of football. 

“I think I’m demanding. I’m meticulous and organised. My job is to make sure that we’re as organised, as committed, as determined, and we put pride into the shirt. If you do those things, normally, you win games of football.”