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Life moves pretty fast. You don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it. When Liverpool were drawn against Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League 11 months ago, they were strong favourites to beat a side who finished 14 places below them in the league phase. Right there, right then, Liverpool looked the best team in Europe – but PSG beat them on penalties after a fascinating struggle and never looked back.

A year on, few people give Liverpool a prayer against the reigning champions, who again seem to be peaking at the perfect time. Liverpool are not so much peaking as lurching; their results this season make a Jackson Pollock look neat and tidy by comparison. After a promising start at the Etihad on Saturday, they collapsed to a 4-0 defeat. If their heads drop as quickly tonight, things could get ugly.

Then again, we thought things were going to get phenomenally ugly at half-time in Istanbul. The Champions League music tends to stiffen the sinews of Liverpool players, particularly when they are underdogs. Arne Slot would love...