♦ Paris Saint-Germain boss Luis Enrique feels confident about his side’s chances
♦ PSG to face Barcelona in the second leg of the quarter-finals on Tuesday
♦ Enrique’s side lost 3-2 to Barca in Paris in the first leg
Paris Saint Germain manager Luis Enrique is confident his side will knock out Barcelona in the Champions League, as they travel to Spain for the second leg quarter-finals.
The Ligue 1 side were unable to claim victory over Barcelona in Paris, losing 3-2 to Spanish champions.
Barca’s win at Parc des Princes ended PSG’s 27-game unbeaten streak in all competitions and Xavi’s men are now on the verge of reaching the semi-finals of the Champions League for the first time in five years.
But speaking ahead of Tuesday’s game, Enrique was confident his side would complete a comeback.
“PSG have never come back to win after losing a first leg, but [Tuesday] is the day,” he said.
“After a defeat in such an important game, the days after the match were hard. It’s tricky to recover mentally, but the good thing about football is you have another game against the same opponent.
“I thought we at least deserved a draw in the first match. We have to be better this time. We won’t hold back. That phrase does not exist for us and we are convinced we will turn the tie around.
“We will press high and they will play long. I think [Marc-Andre] ter Stegen broke a record in the first leg for long passes with 24. I think this game will be similar. I think there will be goals. The 3-2 scoreline means we have to go for the game.”
Enrique managed Barcelona from 2014 to 2017 and was in charge when they overturned a 4-0 defeat to PSG by beating them 6-1 in the return leg of their famous Champions League last 16 tie. He also said prior to last week’s meeting that he understands Barca’s DNA more than current head coach Xavi and will use this to his advantage.
On those comments, Enrique reaffirmed: “I maintain what I said about [Barca’s DNA] because one defeat or one season is not going to change my mind on that.”