When Thomas Tuchel steps out at Anfield on Tuesday the memories will come flooding back. He will wince at how the Kop sucked in that late Dejan Lovren header and what it felt like to be on the wrong end of Jürgen Klopp’s red wave. He will remember how Liverpool drew inspiration in a frenzied atmosphere, fighting back from an almost impossible position to win their Europa League quarter-final against Borussia Dortmund in April 2016, and it will not be easy for him to ignore the lingering mental scars.

It was one of the great European comebacks and if it was sweet for Klopp to beat the man who had replaced him at Dortmund a year earlier, imagine how galling it must have been for Tuchel to fall short against his predecessor. He was powerless to resist when Liverpool made that Istanbul sequel, and Paris Saint-Germain’s manager will be desperate to write a new narrative when the rivalry resumes on Tuesday evening.

Much has changed for Tuchel, now 45, in the two years since that defeat. He left Dortmund amid reports of a fallout with the club at the end of the 2016-17 season and although he won the German Cup in his final match, ultimately he would not come close to matching Klopp’s achievements at the club.

Yet his reputation as one of Europe’s brightest coaches remained intact during his year‑long sabbatical, convincing PSG to appoint him as Unai Emery’s replacement in the summer. The French champions were willing to overlook Tuchel’s lack of major honours – he has never won a league title or reached a European final – on the basis that he will be able to give the squad a clear identity and develop their young talents.

With their Qatari backing, it seems inevitable that PSG will win Ligue 1 again. They have already beaten Monaco 4-0 in the Trophée des Champions and top the table with maximum points from five games. Yet domestic dominance is not enough for a club with PSG’s ambitions. Emery’s struggles in Europe hurt his authority in a dressing room dominated by Neymar, and Tuchel needs to set the right tone when PSG begin their Champions League campaign against Liverpool, not least because Carlo Ancelotti’s Napoli will also pose a formidable challenge in Group C.

Yet it could be tough for Tuchel’s side to challenge Europe’s elite given that PSG have had to tighten the purse strings following Uefa’s decision to review the investigation that cleared the French club of breaking financial fair play rules. There was no wild summer spend. Gianluigi Buffon arrived on a free from Juventus and Juan Bernat, Thilo Kehrer and Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting were signed from Bayern Munich, Schalke and Stoke City respectively. Yet PSG could not find buyers for Julian Draxler or Ángel Di María and a failure to raise funds through sales meant that possible moves for Jérôme Boateng, N’Golo Kanté, Alex Sandro and Julian Weigl went nowhere.

Neymar, left, and Kylian Mbappé share a lighthearted moment during training before the Liverpool game. Photograph: Charles Platiau/Reuters

Then again, few clubs are rushing to send messages of sympathy in the direction of the French capital. PSG managed to keep Adrien Rabiot and Marco Verratti away from Barcelona and Tuchel, who favours an expansive style, cannot complain about a front three of Edinson Cavani, Neymar and Kylian Mbappé. He has shown that he is not afraid to use youngsters such as Antoine Bernède, Colin Dagba, Stanley N’Soki and Timothy Weah, while picking Alphonse Areola instead of Buffon in recent weeks suggests that he will not be cowed by big reputations.

Areola impressed for France during the international break and, with Buffon suspended, the 25-year-old is likely to be busy at Anfield. Liverpool will swarm forward with relentless zeal and perhaps there is no better opponent than Klopp to show Tuchel whether his players are embracing his methods.

The two Germans are linked through their associations with Dortmund and Mainz but they do not build identical teams. Klopp brings noise and intensity and he has a signature style. He forms bonds with his clubs and wears his heart on his sleeve. But he is not what José Mourinho would disparagingly call a philosopher and Tuchel is not a Klopp clone. He is more of a theorist, a tactically flexible shape-shifter in the Pep Guardiola mould. It is a more cerebral approach.

Yet Klopp relishes countering Guardiola’s Manchester City with his intense pressing style. He has had time to instil his ideas at Liverpool and PSG will have to stand firm if Tuchel is to leave Anfield with better memories this time.