Liverpool

Mandeep Sanghera
BBC Sport journalist

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Since becoming Liverpool manager, Arne Slot has not had too much adversity to deal with but he had the disappointment of his side being knocked out of the Champions League on Tuesday.

Since then, the Dutchman has had to pick himself and his players up for the Carabao Cup final on Sunday against Newcastle United.

The match will be Slot's first trip to Wembley and gives him and his team the chance to erase the hurt of the result against Paris St-Germain by lifting a first trophy of his tenure.

Slot will be speak to the media at 10:00 GMT today so we will find out what sort of state the Reds are in mentally and physically.

On the team news front, Liverpool right-back Trent Alexander-Arnold had to go off injured against PSG and is unlikely to be involved.

And, with injured duo Conor Bradley and Joe Gomez not expected to be back, Jarell Quansah is expected to deputise.

Centre-back Ibrahima Konate also went off late on against PSG and, while Slot has said he expects the France international to be available to face Newcastle, we will get an update on him as well.

Liverpool, Arsenal and Manchester United are among the clubs showing an interest in Nottingham Forest and England midfielder Morgan Gibbs-White, 25. (Caughtoffside), external

Liverpool have also joined Arsenal on the trail of 17-year-old French midfielder Ayyoub Bouaddi after his impressive displays for Lille this season. (TBR Football), external

The Reds have been scouring the market for a left-back to replace 31-year-old Scot Andy Robertson with Bournemouth's Hungary defender Milos Kerkez, 21, one of their main targets. (Mail - subscription required), external

Finally, Liverpool have also been linked with a summer move for Bayern Munich's ex-Manchester City forward Leroy Sane. The 29-year-old is out of contract in the summer. (Bild), external

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In reality, every player is different but most of the players in the build-up to the Carabao Cup final will want to stick to their normal routines.

But it is a very hard thing to do when you know the scale of the game ahead.

Getting a chance to play at Wembley is always a huge privilege and one that players do not ever take for granted.

Interestingly for these teams, Liverpool have won there in recent years but Newcastle lost two years ago.

Liverpool are trying to retain their trophy from last season, knowing that they are also in a great position in the league, even if they are now out of the Champions League.

What is the energy like? Have they recovered and understand this is part of the process? Looking historically, it suggests that they can, but they know they will be arriving as favourites.

Newcastle caused Liverpool problems this season in the game at St James' Park so they will not take anything for granted.

The game feels bigger for Newcastle because their history is not littered with trophies or Wembley appearances and the Reds have has significant success in terms of major trophies in the past 10 years - but it is huge for both teams.

The chance to win any trophy in any season is a privilege and to walk up those steps and lift it in front of all your supporters who have come down for this one-off day is amazing. You can never take that for granted.

It is a case of being prepared, being ready for the moment and understanding the lights will shine down on you for that game.

It is a case of making sure they are not too bright for you given the occasion.

Nedum Onuoha was speaking to BBC Sport's Nat Hayward

Liverpool's Champions League journey might be over for this season, but the second leg of their last 16 tie against Paris St-Germain will still go down as "the best game of football I've been involved in" for manager Arne Slot.

After winning in Paris, the Reds went into the second leg at Anfield full of confidence but the match was ultimately decided by PSG goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma's heroics in the penalty shootout.

Liverpool have sent scouts to watch 19-year-old versatile left-sided defender Jorrel Hato from Ajax, who has been capped five times by the Netherlands. (Mail - subscription required), external

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Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk says he has "no idea" whether he will stay at the club beyond this season.

The 33-year-old is out of contract this summer, alongside Mohamed Salah and Trent Alexander-Arnold.

"I still have no idea at the moment, genuinely. At the moment I don't even know what will happen next year. If anyone says they do know, they are lying to your face," he said.

"Everyone knows there are some conversations behind the scenes but that is about it."

"It is not on hold, nothing [is] on hold. Listen, there are 10 games to go and that is my full focus. If there is news, you guys will know it.

"I don't even know myself."

We asked for your views after Liverpool were eliminated from the Champions League by Paris St-Germain.

Here are some of your comments:

Roger: Bottom line is that Liverpool lost to a better team and sometimes you have to accept that, rather than search for shortcomings in your own performance. Nobody would dispute PSG should have won the first leg, and they always looked dangerous in the second leg. I really hope they win the trophy. Good that Liverpool have no league games until April now, but the Carabao final has suddenly become a bigger challenge.

Tim: Over the two legs the better side went through...just. They had more of a threat up front. I don't understand why footballers can't use their weaker leg to clear a ball like Konate didn't. I think there might be some changes for Sunday after that. Great game for the neutral. It could have been the final, it was so open.

M: Generally a great performance. Robertson, Mac Allister, Szobo all top. Quansah came on with confidence. Pens were poor, which was a real shame. Overall PSG probably edged it over two legs. Still a league and cup to go.

Karen: Well it had to happen. It's been a very busy campaign for Liverpool this season. I feel it is beginning to take its toll on the players now. I hope we have better fortune on Sunday.

Vardon: Facing facts is always difficult after such a deflating loss. We have a missing link in central midfield, and that's a priority in the summer. If we lose all three players out of contract it's a major rebuilding of the squad as well. At this point it almost feels as if winning the Premier League is a consolation. Down, but not out in terms of the season as a whole. Darwin, it's a long goodbye after tonight, I'm afraid.

Ken: Fine margins but PSG were better across the two legs. They have got their recruitment spot on eventually with dynamic and energetic players all across the park with dollops of bravery in their work in and out of possession. Slot and the players have done remarkably well to date and this is where FSG's failure to strengthen the squad in defence and midfield hurt us. Hopefully, they can recover well and bounce back in the next game to ensure the run-in is still a glorious climax.

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Trent Alexander-Arnold is expected to miss Sunday's Carabao Cup final against Newcastle after limping off in the Reds' Champions League defeat against Paris St-Germain.

The full-back twisted awkwardly in the second half of Tuesday's shootout defeat.

In more positive news, Ibrahima Konate's withdrawal during the PSG loss could be down to fatigue rather than injury.

Manager Arne Slot told his post-match press conference: "I have to ask but for me Ibou was more that he was tired than it was an injury. With Trent, he had to come off. That's never a good sign.

"And from what I heard from people that saw the images or how he got injured, that didn't look very good. So I would be surprised if he is available for Sunday."

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Former Liverpool defender Stephen Warnock believes that the pressure of taking a Champions League penalty got to striker Darwin Nunez, as the Uruguayan missed his spot-kick in Tuesday's shootout defeat to Paris St-Germain.

Liverpool were eliminated from the competition, with Nunez and Curtis Jones both being denied by Gianluigi Donnarumma, and Warnock says you could tell there was nervousness around Nunez's effort in particular.

"You could feel it as soon as he was walking forward," he said on the Football Daily podcast.

"There was a sense of 'oh no,' and he was probably not the right option.

"To be honest, I am not going to say anything about anyone who takes a penalty, all credit to them, but I get what you mean. It's that confidence when you are stepping up. It is just one of those situations.

"I am sat here thinking, wow, look at the size of Donnarumma. If he dives the right way, he has a great chance of saving it."

Liverpool's support, as they always have, stood firmly behind Darwin Nunez but he suffered a nightmare with an undistinguished performance as a substitute before missing a penalty in the shootout.

There was no question about his work-rate here, but this was a confused, over-anxious display characterised by misplaced passes and misunderstandings after he replaced Diogo Jota with 17 minutes left of normal time.

If anything, this was the work of someone trying too hard.

It will, however, only increase the question marks about whether it will ever fall into place for a striker who earned a reputation as "Captain Chaos" for his all-action style but simply does not produce with the consistency to meet Liverpool's demands.

Nunez, it should be stressed, was certainly not to blame for Liverpool's loss and the greats can miss penalties, but it was his miss that felt as it if carried more weight.

He is likely to have plenty of chances to turn his fortunes around, perhaps starting against Newcastle United in Sunday's Carabao Cup final, but there is an inescapable sense that his future is likely to be on the agenda in the summer when Slot's tenure moves into its next phase, almost certainly with a Premier League title to defend.

Read all of Phil's analysis here

Liverpool, Manchester City or Arsenal would be Viktor Gyokeres' preferred destination if the 26-year-old Sweden striker leaves Sporting this summer. (A Bola - in Portuguese), external

Liverpool are considering a move for Borussia Dortmund's 25-year-old Germany defender Nico Schlotterbeck, who they see as a potential long-term replacement for Virgil van Dijk. (Bild - in German), external

Liverpool have started to explore a deal for Bournemouth's 21-year-old Hungary full-back Milos Kerkez. (Teamtalk), external

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Liverpool players slumped to the turf in disappointment as the fates and fortunes of the Champions League were illustrated in this thrilling last-16 tie that provoked all the emotions on a classic European night at Anfield.

Arne Slot's side have barely broken stride as they topped the Champions League table and raced 15 points clear in the Premier League - but this is the biggest setback Liverpool and their Dutch coach have suffered this season.

Ironically, Liverpool played much better in defeat at Anfield then they did when winning in the Parc des Princes in the first leg, but that was no consolation as this time luck did not smile on them as they were denied by the woodwork and then on penalties, when Donnarumma's expertise came to the fore.

And most of all, they were frustrated by a top-class PSG side who are shaping up as potential Champions League winners.

Anfield provided its usual thunderous atmosphere but Liverpool could not quite deliver, looking leggy and second best in the added 30 minutes.

Liverpool will need to recover swiftly, with the Carabao Cup final against Newcastle United at Wembley on Sunday, but this was a defeat that will hurt deeply as they would have had Champions League expectations far beyond the last 16.

Image source, Getty Images

Liverpool manager Arne Slot, speaking to Amazon Prime: "It was the best game of football where I was ever involved in. Incredible performance, especially compared to last week.

"First 20-25 minutes, we were all over them, created chance after chance and all of a sudden we were 1-0 down. Probably it was almost the opposite [to first leg], maybe we ran out of luck because the margins were so small tonight.

"After 90 minutes it felt we deserved more than being 1-0 down. I was waiting for us to score. I don't think the second half, apart from the last five minutes, when they threatened us once or twice. We played the perfect game except from scoring goals, it was the same for PSG last week when they played the perfect game and didn't score and it happened to us today.

"It's always difficult if you put so much effort in, for the first 25 minutes I've never seen them so aggressive and so intense as they were today, and then you look at the scoreboard and you're 1-0 down, an unlucky goal as well. When you put in so much effort, that's sometimes difficult and in the end it comes down to penalties and we, as Dutch, know how to lose [on penalties].

"It had everything you'd like to see from a football game. From a Liverpool perspective, you'd at least like to have a draw after 90 minutes but it came down to penalties.

"It feels unfair to go out at this round already, you're at the top of the table then you face a team like PSG, but that's also the nice part about football. Everybody around the world enjoyed watching this game and the margins are small, and if you want to win it you have to have some luck, we had it last week, I don't think we had it today.

"Now its clear what we have to do for the rest of the season, one league cup final and nine Premier League games to go."

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Liverpool full-back Andy Robertson, speaking to Amazon Prime: "That's the competition. You know, we got the win last week without playing our best.

"Can't question the effort or endeavour and everything we put into the game.

"When it goes to penalties, its's always a lottery.

"I can't be any prouder of the players. It's unfortunate that the effort wasn't rewarded.

"Last week a lot was said about them not taking their chances and we didn't take our chances [tonight].

"We couldn't get back on level terms. We have got to look back on and there will be a lot of positives from this game, but a massive disappointment to not go through.

"Finishing top of the group and got the toughest tie of the whole Champions League.

"If they play to that level they should go far in the competition.

"It wasn't meant to be and we need to dust ourselves down.

"We always bounce back, there's a lot of tired legs in there. Cup finals, we enjoy them, and that's the biggest game."

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Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk, speaking to Amazon Prime: "It was a very intense, great game of football, I think to be part of it as well.

"It was totally there for Liverpool and what we showed in Paris and unfortunately we're out on penalties and that is the reality.

"I think in the first half we created dangerous moments and they have the quality as well, and then it comes down to penalties.

"It's part of football, I said to the guys, obviously, you can be disappointed because we're out of the competition, but chin up and get ready for the next challenge, a beautiful one on the weekend.

"I think we were pretty good today as well, and you want to go as far as possible, but we knew when we drew PSG it was going to be very difficult. We saw in Paris when we struggled but we won, and today we saw a very good Liverpool side but we're out of the competition.

"Today from the first second, and then extra time when fatigue kicks in for both sides, it becomes more open but especially regular time, we showed a very good game. We can speak about the game for ages but we're out of the competition, that is the reality."

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Liverpool were eliminated from a major European knockout tie for the first time ever after winning the first leg away from home, progressing from 30 straight ties before their defeat by PSG.

It was also the first time the Reds have lost a penalty shootout in the European Cup or Champions League (won three previous).