Liverpool are having a special season. Champions League glory would make it legendary.

Some Liverpool fans have already started circling the day on the calendar their team could clinch the Premier League title. Arne Slot’s side are so far ahead at the top of the table that it now appears only a matter of time until the Reds are crowned champions. They also have the Carabao Cup final to look forward to.

This season is set to be a special one for the Anfield club, but glory in the Champions League could make it a legendary one. Liverpool cruised through the competition’s league phase, winning seven out of eight games with their only defeat coming when qualification had already been secured, and are now the favourites for many to lift the trophy. 

The last 16 tie against Paris Saint-Germain will be a test for Slot and his players. The French giants have improved a lot over the last two months, winning 19 of their last 20 games in all competitions and scoring 21 goals in their last four outings. PSG are Champions League contenders in their own right.

In Ousmane Dembele, the Ligue 1 outfit boast the most in-form forward in European soccer at this moment in time. Indeed, the Frenchman has scored 18 goals in his last 13 games, proving those wrong who doubted he could ever be a consistent finisher at the elite level. Dembele has been lethal recently.

Bradley Barcola and Desire Doue are also threats out wide with Khvicha Kvaratskhelia still being integrated into Luis Enrique’s team following his January transfer from Napoli. The Georgian will surely be a difference-maker for PSG moving forward. The player they call ‘Kvaradona’ has so much to offer.

Then there’s Joao Neves in the centre of midfield who sets the pace for PSG with his possession play. The Portuguese midfielder has become the beating heart of Lucho’s team since arriving at the Parc des Princes from Benfica last summer and has Vitinha alongside him to help with the leg work. 

Of course, Liverpool have players of their own who can decide a big match. Mohamed Salah is having the season of his career, which is saying something considering the heights reached by the Egyptian as a Liverpool player. Virgil van Dijk has been back to his best under Slot with Alisson Becker arguably the best goalkeeper in the world.

Even in midfield where PSG will look to control the game, Liverpool have their own controllers in the shape of Ryan Gravenberch and Alexis Mac Allister. They have Dominik Szoboszlai and Curtis Jones to push high from central midfield and get into the opposition penalty box and Luis Diaz to make runs in behind.

This is a Liverpool squad built to compete on numerous fronts and so the Reds should be targeting Champions League glory this season. With the Premier League title race firmly in their favour, Slot and his players can focus on winning the club’s seventh European crown. Only Real Madrid have won more.

Relatively speaking, the field at the top of the European game is weaker now than it has been in past seasons. Manchester City are already out of the Champions League having been knocked out in the round of 24. Real Madrid have their strengths, but also have fundamental flaws as a team. 

Barcelona might have the most fearsome forward line in the sport right now, but Hansi Flick’s high defensive line gives opponents an area to target. Similar could be said of Bayern Munich who were seconds away from being taken to extra time by Celtic in their tie to reach the Champions League last 16.

Arsenal have been hit hard by an injury crisis, and it’s hard to tell if their 7-1 romp over PSV is indicative of how they can play against the absolute top competition. Aston Villa are still acclimatising to being a team in the latter rounds of the Champions League. PSG might be as hard a test as Liverpool face this season, but if they can come through to the last 16 to make the quarter-finals it’s difficult to envisage anyone standing in their way.

Slot has picked up the baton from Jurgen Klopp and kept Liverpool running towards even more success. The traditional Treble might not be possible after the Reds lost to Plymouth in the FA Cup, but three trophies in one season would surpass anything achieved by Klopp. Liverpool are better than ever.