PARIS Saint-Germain manager Luis Enrique is confident his side can for the first time ever win a UEFA Champions League tie after losing the first leg at home.
PSG were beaten 3-2 in Paris by Barcelona in the first leg of their quarter-final last Wednesday and the French champions are in Spain tonight bidding to turn it around against Xavi’s side.
Enrique, who coached Barcelona to their last Champions League title in 2015, believes PSG are about to make history.
“Paris have never been able to qualify after losing in the first leg at home, but tomorrow will be the day we do it and qualify,” the former Barcelona midfielder said last night in his preview.
“We are convinced that we will turn the situation around. We want to play our game, with pressure. Barca can use long balls to Lewandowski and put us under pressure. It’s up to us to come out and create chances. I think the game will be similar, with goals on both sides.”
Xavi, who was Barca team captain when Enrique led the Catalan club to that 2015 UCL triumph, expects a tough time against his former boss and his PSG side but he is backing the Spanish champions to scale through.
“The match is about footballers and not about coaches. Let’s hope they are inspired because it will depend on them,” Xavi said.
“Montjuïc has to be a pressure cooker, we need the fans. There will be difficult moments, moments when Paris will make us suffer. It’s not the Camp Nou, but let’s hope it looks a lot like it.”
Barcelona are targeting only their second UCL semi-final in nine seasons while PSG were beaten finalists in 2020, losing to Bayern Munich in the final of the Covid-disrupted campaign.
