Mikel Arteta had plenty of praise for Luis Enrique ahead of Wednesday’s Champions League semi-final second leg between their two teams, but he insisted he’s coming to Paris to win.
LONDON, ENGLAND: Luis Enrique, Head Coach of Paris Saint-Germain looks on as Mikel Arteta Arsenal manager walks past during the UEFA Champions League 2024/25 League Phase MD2 match between Arsenal FC and Paris Saint-Germain at on October 01, 2024. (Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images)
Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images
There’s clearly a lot of respect between Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta and PSG boss Luis Enrique, and that hasn’t changed following the two matches between their teams so far this season.
Arteta came out on top in the first encounter, with Arsenal winning their League Phase match 2-0 in October. But Enrique won the far more important Champions League semi-final first leg 1-0 at the Emirates Stadium last week.
There’s still one more match to come on Wednesday night, and Arsenal will have to win it if they want to be in this season’s Champions League final.
LONDON, ENGLAND - APRIL 29: Mikel Merino of Arsenal runs with the ball whilst under pressure from Ousmane Dembele of Paris Saint-Germain during the UEFA Champions League 2024/25 Semi Final First Leg match between Arsenal FC and Paris Saint-Germain at Emirates Stadium on April 29, 2025 in London, England. (Photo by Michael Steele/Getty Images)
Photo by Michael Steele/Getty Images
Against that backdrop, Arteta still had lots of nice things to say about his opposition counterpart, before adding that he’s looking forward to winning against the PSG manager.
“Yes (I played with Enrique at Barcelona), I was very young,” Arteta began. “I wasn’t even a part of the squad, but yeah [he’s] a magnificent coach. Someone really special, someone inspiring.
“What he’s done again is built a team, very clear what he wants to do. And I’m looking forward to beating him!”
LONDON COLNEY, ENGLAND - MAY 06: Mikel Arteta, Manager of Arsenal, looks on during a training session and press conference ahead of their UEFA Champions League 2024/25 semi final first/second leg match at Sobha Realty Training Centre on May 06, 2025 in London Colney, England. (Photo by Alex Davidson/Getty Images)
Photo by Alex Davidson/Getty Images
Enrique has already been involved in the Champions League final before, helping Barcelona to win the competition in 2014/15. He’ll be drawing on that experience to get his new team over the line, and it’s up to Arteta to figure out a way to stop him.
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