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Liverpool prepare to face PSG in the Champions League last 16 second leg at Anfield.
Luis Enrique has insisted that Paris Saint-Germain’s Champions League showdown against Liverpool has always been on his mind - despite playing the importance of the tie down.
The French side suffered a 1-0 loss to the Reds in the last-16 first-tie encounter at the Parc des Princes last week. PSG were dominant throughout and recorded 27 shots - but Liverpool goalkeeper Alisson Becker was in wonderful form and produced nine saves.
Then in the 87th minute, Arne Slot’s visitors mustered the paragon of a sucker-punch when Harvey Elliott netted with the Reds’ first shot on target - just 47 seconds after coming off the bench.
There has been plenty of build-up to both games, but PSG chief Enrique - much like his Anfield counterpart Slot - has been insisting only the next game is the most important. The Parisians will travel to Merseyside after a comprehensive 4-1 win over Rennes to move them a step closer to being crowned Ligue 1 champions.
What’s been said
Enrique was asked whether he focused on facing Liverpool and trying to turn around the deficit. But the former Barcelona and Spain boss confessed the Res have constantly been in his head. Via Culture PSG, Enrique said: “ I lied to you. Of course, I think about Liverpool, like everyone else. I’ve been thinking about the games against Liverpool for a while, since the draw already. But I also think that I have to highlight my team, my players, the mentality of all the players in the team, all of them.
“Those who play, those who play less, those who don’t participate. I think that to be able to compete, to fight for all the titles and to represent a club like ours, they have the right mentality. And it’s a pleasure for me to coach them.”
Squad update
Against Rennes, Enrique opted to drop five key players to the bench; Achraf Hakimi, Nuno Mendes, Vitinha, Ousmane Dembele and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia. The quintet came on, with Dembele firing a late double, while Fabian Ruiz and No.1 keeper Gianluigi Donnarumma were unused substitutes and captain Marquinhos was given the night off completely.
However, Enrique has insisted that PSG have sustained no new injuries. He added: "I think all the players are fine. There are no injuries. The result is excellent against a team that gave us a hard time but we achieved our objective. The first leg leaves us no options: we have to win, that's the objective. Nothing will change compared to the other matches, we play to win, but that's the objective."
Slot demands improvement
Liverpool, meanwhile, has their struggles in a 3-1 win over Southampton. The Reds found themselves a goal behind at half-time but improved markedly in the second half. Darwin Nunez equalised before Mo Salah scored two penalties. Head coach Slot knows that improvements are required. He said: “I think it was maybe the first time this season that I saw this tempo. I think Paris Saint-Germain showed us the right example; they played Lille in incredible intensity, 4-0 up at half-time and then they played against us and that intensity I haven't seen before in a game we've played this season.
“When I look at the game against PSG, we need to go one step up in terms of intensity. But if I compare it with the game today, we need to go three, four, five, six or seven steps up in terms of intensity if we want to have any chance of reaching the next round.”