- Liverpool meet Paris Saint-Germain in Wednesday’s Champions League last 16
- Each club can lay claim to having the best forward in Europe so far this season
- LISTEN NOW: It’s All Kicking Off! Is it harsh on Anthony Gordon that he misses the Carabao Cup final?
Liverpool must stop a man in even richer goalscoring form than Mo Salah if they are to progress past Paris St Germain in the Champions League.
Ousmane Dembele scored his 18th goal since the start of January on Saturday evening as rampant PSG swept aside Lille in a 4-1 victory.
Previously, the most scored by any player at this point in the year in the 21st century for a club from one of the top five leagues was held by Lionel Messi, who scored 17 goals for Barcelona in 2016 — after he surpassed the 16 scored by Cristiano Ronaldo for Real Madrid in 2013.
Dembele had equalled the record in midweek during PSG’s dominant victory over Stade Briochin in the French Cup quarter-finals, where he netted the final goal of the match.
The French international has been in scintillating form, accumulating 26 goals in all competitions — with an astonishing 21 goals since December 15.
Ousmane Dembele has been in scintillating form, accumulating 26 goals in all competitions
Liverpool’s talisman Mo Salah, meanwhile, has scored 30 goals for the Reds this season
Dembele has stepped up to the plate for Paris Saint-Germain in the absence of Kylian Mbappe
Salah has 30 goals overall, with 14 since mid-December.
It sets up a mouth-watering confrontation with Salah-inspired Liverpool in the Champions League round-of-16 tie in Paris on Wednesday.
Both forwards have been instrumental in their respective teams’ successes this season, making significant contributions in domestic and European competitions. Their head-to-head battle could have significant implications for the Ballon d’Or race also, which remains wide open this season.
Dembele is enjoying the best season of his career after PSG placed their trust in him as the leader of their project post-Kylian Mbappe.
After a first season at PSG where Dembele stood out more for providing assists, this campaign coach Luis Enrique has implemented a tactical shift, positioning him as a false nine. In this new role, he is surpassing Mbappe’s numbers and has emerged as the undisputed star of the team.
Paris Saint-Germain boss Luis Enrique has changed Dembele’s role, playing him as a false nine
The battle between Salah and Dembele could determine who walks away with the Ballon d’Or
In France, many view this transformation into a goal-scoring forward as a defining step in the 27-year-old’s career that promised so much since his emergence ten years ago at Rennes. A phrase often recalled is that of former Rennes’ coach, Julien Stephan, who last year said: ‘He is an exceptional player. If he was a better finisher, he would have won the Ballon D’Or by now.’
That belief is also shared within PSG’s coaching staff, including Luis Enrique, who has repeatedly stated that Dembélé is the most ‘destabilising’ player in the world as he leads a dynamic attack and puts opponents on the back foot.
Looking ahead to the encounter with Salah and Co, Dembele said: ‘I know it’s going to be a tough Champions League match.
‘We know Liverpool finished first, and they’re also leading the league,’ he told DAZN. ‘It’s going to be a great game. We’re confident, they are too, and it’s going to be an exciting spectacle.’
