Luis Enrique examined the challenge of hosting **Liverpool**at the Parc des Princes.
The **Champions League**holders lock horns with one of the outfits they beat on their way to a maiden title in 2025. The tables have turned with neutrals’ expectations, but Enrique has the same mentality.
‘What I want is the same identity’
Enrique emphasises the importance of playing with positivity and passion relentlessly.
His project only took two years to break through the perennial Parisian problem of failure in the **Champions League**as PSG thrashed Inter Milan 5-0 in the final of the competition last May.
On the way, they defeated four Premier League clubs (Manchester City, Liverpool, Aston Villa and Arsenal), showing that they would not allow aggression, running power and physicality to take away their strengths or compromise their approach. Injuries have hurt the rhythm of the group since that record-breaking run, but the style has stayed the same: Enrique is not a man for changing.
*"We had spoken about the importance of winning the match against Toulouse, before Lille-Lens, and the importance of getting the job done, because we're in the best position in the league and we go into the Champions League in good spirits. That's the job of a coach: find how to perform.*
“What I want all the time is to show the same identity and look to play football and enjoy it.
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*"We're going to try to have the ball more than Liverpool, a very good team with quality players and a very good coach. It'll be difficult. In the quarterfinals, it's naturally a special game, because there are just eight teams. When you start to get used to being at this level, it's great as a team.*
“I think that we played a very high-level first leg [in the Round of 16 in 2025]. The fact we lost that game is incredible, it defied football. I would take your hand off for a performance of the same quality...but not the result! We want to play attacking football.
*“We try to win regardless of the opponent, and above all enjoy the moment at the Parc des Princes, this incredible stadium, and our fans. It's great to play these matches at home. That'll be the key."*
‘Look to control what we can control’
These two teams meet each other in a very different place to their encounter 11 months ago.
In March 2025, **Liverpool**were running away with the Premier League title ahead of eventual semi-finalists Arsenal, and they had won seven of eight league phase fixtures to finish top of the table.
On the other hand, PSG were trying to prove that there was life after Kylian Mbappe, still suffering from the expectation that failure was around the corner in continental competition. They had only qualified for the knockout playoffs by the skin of their teeth with wins over Manchester City and Stuttgart, and a 10-2 aggregate rout of **Brest**was not enough to make them favourites in the tie.
But the rest is history. Harvey Elliott stung late in Paris after the hosts dominated the first leg, and Ousmane Dembele levelled at **Anfield**before the Parisians held their nerve to win the shootout.
Now, PSG play the role of favourites in the narrative, but Enrique expects a difficult contest.
*“It's of course positive to be able to show it against Liverpool. What we want is to qualify. We're aware of the difficulty but we're motivated. We want to enjoy playing at the Parc des Princes.*
"On Wednesday, it'll be important to show that desire to play football, to enjoy the Parc, the fans, the atmosphere. It's the most important thing for us and our fans: to give 100%. What will the result be? We'll see. Last season, we put in one of our best performances, but we lost. Liverpool were favourites, and PSG qualified. There's no favourite at this stage of the competition.
“It's important to look to control what we can control. Liverpool are a high-level team and to think you're the favourites is the best way to make a mess of things. It's not important to know who's the favourite in this competition, in this kind of game. It's impossible that there's a favourite.”