Luis Enrique relishes facing former club Barcelona as PSG bid for European glory
Luis Enrique has no qualms over going into battle with former club Barcelona as he attempts to end Paris St Germain’s quest for Champions League glory.
The 53-year-old Spaniard guided Barca, for whom he had made 300 appearances as a player, to European glory as manager in 2015 and was handed the task of repeating the feat with the big-spending French champions last summer.
The two sides go head-to-head in the first leg of their quarter-final showdown at the Parc des Princes on Wednesday evening with no question over where Enrique’s loyalties lie.
He told a press conference: “Of course I like Barcelona, but I’m very pleased to be here at PSG. I just need to focus on my job and this team and building confidence here.
“I think I’m capable of bringing trophies to this club and I’m full of desire to be at the top level in this tie.”
Enrique’s former team-mate Xavi – who he sent on as a late replacement for Andres Iniesta in the 3-1 2015 final victory over Juventus in Berlin – will be in the away dugout as the Catalan giants attempt to reach the semi-finals for the first time since 2019.
However, the PSG boss is not convinced his inside knowledge will do him any good.
Enrique, who will be without the suspended Achraf Hakimi, said: “I have to say that I don’t know Xavi at all as a coach. I know about him as a player – he was my team-mate – I know about him as a footballer, but not as a coach.
“I know the club very well, I know Barcelona and the players, but I don’t know if that could be an advantage. Maybe it could be the opposite.”
PSG, who are on a 27-game unbeaten run in all competitions, have not made the quarter-finals in three seasons, while five-time winners Barca have gone out in the group stage in each of the last two campaigns.
The sides are meeting in the last eight for the fourth time with Barca having come out on top in the last two in 2012-13 and 2014-15, with the French giants getting the better of their Spanish opponents back in 1994-95.
PSG held sway the last time they were last paired together – in the last 16 – three seasons ago when Kylian Mbappe’s hat-trick secured a 4-1 first-leg victory at the Nou Camp after Lionel Messi had opened the scoring from the penalty spot before both men scored in a 1-1 draw in the return.
However, perhaps the most remarkable tie in which the two clubs have been involved came at the same stage of the 2016-17 campaign when the Catalan giants returned from the Parc des Princes on the wrong end of a 4-0 scoreline to win 6-1 on home turf.
Barcelona reached the Champions League quarter-finals for the first time in four years after beating Napoli in the round of 16 and boss Xavi was feeling the “excitement” for Wednesday’s tie.
“I think the word for tomorrow, after being out of the quarter-finals for four years, is excitement,” he said in a press conference.
“We can dream and we are very motivated.
“We are enjoying our best form of the season and we will face a team prepared to win the Champions League with one of the better coaches in Luis Enrique. I have all the respect in the world for them.”
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FC Barcelona
Luis Enrique fires dig at Xavi over Barcelona's style of play
Enrique's PSG will face Xavi's Barcelona in the Champions League quarter-final first leg on Wednesday
PSG boss has been touted as potential replacement for Xavi this summer
53-year-old excited to reunite with his former employers
By Tom Gott
Apr 9, 2024
Enrique will face Xavi on Wednesday
Enrique will face Xavi on Wednesday / Catherine Steenkeste | Jonathan Moscrop/Getty Images
Paris Saint-Germain manager Luis Enrique has claimed that he embodies the famous 'Barcelona DNA' more than current Blaugrana boss Xavi.
Enrique has been touted as a potential replacement for Xavi at the end of the season, and although the PSG manager has openly admitted he wants to manage Barca again, he has vowed not to walk away from his current club while under contract.
Ahead of Wednesday's Champions League quarter-final first leg between the two sides, Enrique was asked whether he feels he is a better fit for Barcelona than Xavi, and he did not shy away from making his feelings known.
"Without a doubt, me," he stressed. "Look at the possession data, titles, high pressure. Look at the data.
"It is not an opinion, it is numbers, data. It is not debatable."
Xavi, Luis Enrique
Enrique managed Xavi in 2014/15 / LLUIS GENE/GettyImages
Enrique spent one year, 2014/15, as Xavi's manager at Barcelona and also played alongside the former midfielder between 1998 and 2004, but he insisted that experience gives him no extra insight into what to expect on Wednesday.
"Sorry to burst your bubble, but I don't know Xavi the manager at all," Enrique insisted. "I know Xavi as a teammate and Xavi as a player.
"I know the club and its players very well, but I don't know if that is an advantage or a disadvantage. It will be special for me, but I am more than prepared to give my best for my team.
"It's a different game for me. I'm a professional. I have a relationship of total love with Barca and I am proud, but I am a professional and I owe it to the club that trusted me. I'm really looking forward to this tie."
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4 reasons why Manchester City will win the Champions League
Man City won the Champions League last season
They will face off against Real Madrid in the quarter-finals
Why they should be considered the favourites to win the competition
By Jack Gallagher
Apr 9, 2024
Man City are the favourites for the Champions League
Man City are the favourites for the Champions League / Sebastian Frej/MB Media/GettyImages
Manchester City head into the final eight of the UEFA Champions League as heavy favourites to lift the trophy with the big ears.
And rightfully so.
Last season's treble-winners have showed no signs of slowing down, and are currently fighting on three fronts once again heading into the final weeks of the season.
Here's why Man City are favourites to win the Champions League in 2023/24.
Erling Haaland
Erling Haaland
World class / Robbie Jay Barratt - AMA/GettyImages
Erling Haaland has scored 41 goals in 37 UEFA Champions League appearances - the best goals per game ratio out of any of the top 50 goalscorers in the competition's history.
The forward scored a rather ridiculous 12 goals in 11 games as Man City won the competition last season, and having netted six already during this campaign, he looks to be in similarly frightening form heading into the latter stages of the Champions League.
The two best midfielders in the world
Kevin De Bruyne, Rodri
The best around / James Gill - Danehouse/GettyImages
When fit, Kevin De Bruyne is the best creative midfielder in the world.
When fit (he basically always is), Rodri is the best defensive midfielder in the world.
The pair have been utterly unplayable in recent seasons when on the pitch together, providing Pep Guardiola with unrivalled creativity and steel at the heart of his midfield.
Simply put, no other team in Europe has the same level of quality in the centre of the park.
Experience
TOPSHOT-FBL-EUR-C1-MAN CITY-INTER
Been there, done that / FRANCK FIFE/GettyImages
Considering the money spent since Sheikh Mansour bought the club, it is rather astonishing that it took as long as it did for the Citizens to win the Champions League.
Having finally won it and got over the hump however, it seems that City now have the capacity to go on and dominate Europe's elite cup competition for a number of years. They have the manager, transfer kitty, and talent to do so.
Strength in depth
Jack Grealish
Plenty of options / Richard Pelham/GettyImages
Here's Manchester City's bench for last weekend's clash with Crystal Palace in the Premier League:
Ederson, Jeremy Doku, Manuel Akanji, Mateo Kovacic, Matheus Nunes, Bernardo Silva, Mahamadou Susoho, Phil Foden and Sergio Gomez.
Bar Susoho and Gomez (sorry guys), every single of those players probably starts for every other team in England.
That's strength in depth; the sort of strength in depth that's needed to win the Champions League.
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