Luis Enrique warns PSG players to be careful against Liverpool in their UCL tie
Paris Saint-Germain must impose their game on Liverpool to avoid getting hit by the Reds’ “fighter jet” attackers in the Champions League’s last 16, says Luis Enrique.
PSG welcome the Premier League leaders to the Parc des Princes for the first leg of their much-anticipated European tie on Wednesday.
PSG were slow to find their feet in 2024-25 but have gone through the gears in recent weeks, winning 18 of their last 20 competitive matches and drawing the other two.
The French champions have also scored 21 goals in their last four games and cruised through the Champions League play-offs with a 10-0 aggregate victory against fellow Ligue 1 club Brest.
They have won five straight Champions League games and could win six in a row in Europe’s premier club competition for the first time since 1994-95.
But in Liverpool, they will face the Opta supercomputer’s current favourites to lift the Champions League trophy – the Merseyside club are assigned a 19% chance of becoming European champions for a seventh time, with PSG assigned a 10% probability.
“It will be intense. On paper, it is one of the best matches you can watch in Europe. They’re one of the best teams in terms of counterattacking,” Luis Enrique said on Tuesday.
“We have to be careful that we don’t suffer from their transitions. They have three fighter jets in attack, it’s not easy to stop them if we don’t impose our game on them.”
Among those “fighter jets” is Mohamed Salah, who has scored 30 goals in all competitions this season as well as providing 22 assists.
His total of 52 goal involvements is at least 12 more than any other player from Europe’s top five leagues, with Barcelona’s Raphinha on 40 (24 goals, 16 assists). PSG winger Ousmane Dembele is joint-seventh on that list with 26 goals and six assists.
While he would not elaborate on the departments in which he feels PSG are superior to Liverpool, Luis Enrique said his team will be dangerous if they can dominate possession.
“We will need the ball. Maybe we’re not as tough physically but we are one of the best teams in possession in Europe,” he added.
PSG have no injury concerns going into the contest, which will be settled at Anfield next Tuesday.
“The first game will not determine who gets through,” Luis Enrique said. “If we were to lose at home and then qualify at Anfield, of course I would take that.”
ALSO READ: Ancelotti confident Real Madrid can retain UCL title
Follow AyeyiBruce for more news
