Paris Saint-Germain stand in the way of Liverpool in the Champions League round of 16 and the French league leaders could call in a favour from an old friend of their manager
Paris Saint-Germain coach Luis Enrique will be picking the brain of Pep Guardiola as he plots a plan to defeat Liverpool – but it’s already clear that his players have no inferiority complex about facing the runaway Premier League leaders in the Champions League.
Enrique has a friendship with Guardiola that the Manchester City manager describes as “eternal.” Guardiola added: “My family loves his family – and I think they love us.”
The former Barcelona team-mates have always been there to lean on each other and after being given a taste of what Arne Slot has brought to Anfield when Liverpool went to the Etihad to win with some ease last weekend, their latest conversations will no doubt include how Jeremy Doku was still able to give Trent Alexander-Arnold a torrid afternoon.
Enrique must decide whether to employ the speed of flying Frenchman Ousmane Dembele or the Georgian guile of new £60million signing Khvicha Kvaratskhelia to expose the Reds’ right flank. But having walloped Guardiola’s City 4-2 in the league phase of the Champions League, the noises coming from the team that is aiming to become Ligue 1’s first-ever Invincibles have absolutely no fears about meeting the best England currently has to offer.
Kylian Mbappe may have gone to Real Madrid to realise his dream of European domination, but PSG’s Portuguese midfielder Vitinha warned: “The strength of our team is the collective. We have had a lot of stars in the past but didn’t manage to win the Champions League.
“With this team, we think we can go far – even that we can go all the way. We did not have the results we wanted in the group stages, but I have absolutely no doubt that no-one wants to face PSG.
“I like being in a team where we all feel the same thing. You can see that on the pitch, where we are well coordinated in the movements, the efforts and the dynamics. When we play like that then the results go well.”
Who will win the first leg between PSG and Liverpool? Have your say in the comments section
Kvaratskhelia’s arrival from Napoli during the transfer window has given Enrique another attacking dimension. PSG thrashed Brest 10-0 on aggregate to book their place in the last 16 of the Champions League. And their coach does not believe his team will go into Wednesday night’s first leg in the Parc des Princes as underdogs.
Enrique said: “It will be a 50-50 contest. It will be two games between two fairly equal teams. I am delighted with the draw. Both teams are of a very high level and it will be very exciting.
“During the group phase we both played against high-level teams like Manchester City and Real Madrid in games that could have easily been in the final. If you look at the profiles of us and Liverpool we are similar in that we both have a willingness to attack.”
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