Soccer Football - Champions League - Paris St Germain Press Conference - Anfield, Liverpool, Britain - March 10, 2025 Paris St Germain coach Luis Enrique during the press conference Action Images via Reuters/Jason Cairnduff
Soccer Football - Champions League - Paris St Germain Press Conference - Anfield, Liverpool, Britain - March 10, 2025 Paris St Germain coach Luis Enrique during the press conference Action Images via Reuters/Jason Cairnduff
Paris Saint-Germain boss Luis Enrique believes the winner of his team’s last 16 clash with Liverpool today will go on to reach the final. PSG face the Premier League leaders in the second leg at Anfield with the daunting task of having to overturn a 1-0 deficit from the first meeting in Paris.
Luis Enrique’s men delivered a dominant display at the Parc des Princes, but were unable to find a way past inspired Liverpool goalkeeper Alisson Becker. Liverpool’s quality remains clear to the former Barcelona boss despite that spluttering display from the Reds and he is convinced whoever finishes victorious this week is certain to play in May 31’s final in Munich.
“Even though we’re trailing from the first leg, we will be playing our own game from the outset. Regardless of the result in Paris we wouldn’t do anything different,” he told reporters. “Our only option is to go out and win and that is what is driving us. I don’t think Arne Slot has much doubts about our starting line-up, I’ve got my ideas about his starting line-up as well. I’m not going to give away who we are going to play or how we are going to play, but we will see two of the best teams in Europe, two contenders for the final and whoever goes through will go through to the final.”
Enrique is confident the Ligue 1 leaders can cope with the intense environment at Anfield, a stadium famous for Liverpool supporters generating a hostile atmosphere on big European nights.
“I am pretty convinced that absolutely every single one of my players will want to play,” he said. “We know what Liverpool means with a historic stadium and a wonderful history. It’s a huge source of motivation for the players and we want to show we are capable of putting in a performance. It is difficult to manage one’s emotions and feelings, these are not easy games to prepare for and it is not easy to be at 100 per cent. But you don’t want to be at 105 or 110 per cent because you could get carried away so you have to manage your emotions in the best possible way.”
PSG lost on their only previous trips to Anfield in 1997 and 2018, but winger Khvicha Kvaratskhelia is not concerned by the prospect of playing in such an intimidating arena. “When you play at Anfield against Liverpool you don’t need to motivate yourself that much, you already have it inside you,” the Georgia attacker said. “The game will be 50-50. We have a big mentality in the team and we will just try to win. It will be the most important game in our season because our goal is to play in the Champions League many times and play in the final.”
Liverpool need best display of season to beat PSG: Slot
Meanwhile, Arne Slot has urged Liverpool to produce their best performance of the season as they look to kill off PSG’s hope. Slot promised Liverpool will not sit back to defend their slender advantage at Anfield, revealing he has told his players to raise the performance levels to new heights.
“We want to play a different game, the intention is always the same, we are not going to go for a draw,” he told reporters. “That is also what we tried to do last week, it wasn’t our intention to be so low all the time. At Manchester City away that wasn’t the situation, at PSG that wasn’t the situation. But we do take confidence from our home game against City where we did have the ball much more and it was much more of an equal game.”
In a dream first season in charge for Slot, Liverpool are 15 points clear at the top of the Premier League as they chase a record-equalling 20th English title. They also face Newcastle in the League Cup final at Wembley on Sunday.
But, asked whether it would require Liverpool’s best performance under him to defeat PSG, Slot said: “Yes. I do think so. This is the most complete team we have faced so far. We have faced Arsenal and City and they are not big margins but the intensity PSG play at combined with the quality – and they are one of the richest clubs – and a great manager it is not easy to play against.”
On the 39 previous occasions they have won the first leg of a European tie, Liverpool have gone through to the next round. Their record at Anfield is also formidable, having lost just once since April at a stadium that generates a wall of sound on high-stakes European nights. Responding to suggestions in France that Liverpool were less impressive than Arsenal and Bayern Munich against PSG this season, Slot said that was credit to Enrique’s improved Ligue 1 leaders. “Some of them have said Arsenal and Bayern Munich were better than us. That is what I have heard,” said Slot, who is boosted by the return from injury of Dutch forward Cody Gakpo.
Related Story
Al Sadd coach Felix Sanchez addresses a press conference in Doha on the eve of the AFC Champions League Elite Round of 16 return leg match against Al Wasl of the UAE at Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium.
Al Sadd coach Felix Sanchez addressing the media yesterday ahead of the AFC Champions League Elite Round of 16 tie against Al Wasl in Dubai. (Right) Al Sadd players during a practice session. The match today starts at 9pm.