PSG head coach Luis Enrique
Luis Enrique says he has been thinking non-stop about PSG's huge tie with Liverpool
Paris Saint-Germain boss Luis Enrique admits he has had Liverpool on the brain all weekend ahead of their decisive Champions League showdown.
The Reds snatched victory in Paris last week through a late Harvey Elliott goal and will take the narrowest of advantages into the second leg of Tuesday night's pivotal last-16 tie at Anfield.
PSG are well clear in the Ligue 1 standings as we approach the business end of the season but an early exit from Europe would seriously dampen the mood at the Parc des Princes. They were expected to go deep into the competition, so failing to make it to the quarter-finals would not be taken lightly.
Enrique and PSG know that only a win will do on Merseyside if they are to keep their own hopes of European glory alive.
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And while Enrique insisted he was not overlooking their Ligue 1 clash with Rennes at the weekend, he conceded that Liverpool have been taking up some of his attention.
“I lied to you. Of course, I think about Liverpool, like everyone else,” he said after watching PSG win 4-1 on Saturday. “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.”
Harvey Elliott watches as the ball passes Gianluigi Donnarumma to score Liverpool's first goal during the UEFA Champions League Round of 16 first leg football match against Paris Saint-Germain
PSG have work to do at Anfield after Harvey Elliott gave Liverpool a 1-0 win in last week's first leg
PSG managed to get through their domestic duties at the weekend unscathed, meaning Enrique has no new selection concerns ahead of midweek.
The same 22 men who made up PSG's squad last week will travel to Liverpool with a view to upsetting Arne Slot's team, who are fast becoming one of the favourites to go all the way in this year's new-look competition after topping the group phase.
Enrique continued: “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.”
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