Paris Saint-Germain boss Luis Enrique is looking forward to reuniting with Pep Guardiola in the Champions League on Wednesday evening.
The French league leaders sit at the top of Ligue 1 but risk failing to qualify for the next stage of Europe’s elite competition.
They have only seven points, one behind City before their meeting at the Parc des Princes.
And even though the stakes of the match are high, Enrique looked more excited than nervous during his pre-match press conference.
He said: “Tomorrow will be a special match. Not only because of its importance for both teams, but also because I will find a friend with whom I shared very good times.
“It’s great to see Pep again. What brings us together is our way of seeing football, of constantly pressing, of keeping the ball more than our opponents.
“Of course there are nuances, but I think our starting philosophy is similar. I feel very lucky to be his friend and to have been his teammate. I think he brought a new way of playing to England.
Luis Enrique spoke to PSG TV on the eve of the match against City! 🎙️
– Paris Saint-Germain (@PSG_English) January 21, 2025
“Last season we had to fight until the last day to get out of our group. I think in the last two seasons we faced tough opponents in the group stage. But what I see in my team gives me confidence and makes me very optimistic.
“It’s a very important match, and everyone has to be ready, both the coach and the team. I think both teams will try to deploy their best weapons.
“With the new format of the Champions League, no one could have predicted where Manchester City and Paris Saint-Germain would be. We still don’t know how many points we’ll need to qualify for the next round, but maybe after this round we’ll find out.
Enrique strengthened his attacking options before the match with the arrival of Khvicha Kvaratskhelia.
The former Napoli winger joins to compete with Desire Doue and Bradley Barcola in wide areas.
But the PSG coach claims the Georgian striker can play in the frontline and that will be evident from his very first appearance for the club.
He added: “Khvicha Kvaratskhelia is a player who showed his abilities in Naples and with the Georgian national team. He can play on the sides, in the center, in front… He is a player who adapts to our system. He is also involved defensively, which corresponds to our idea of football.
“We define our game plan with this in mind. We hope that with the support of our fans we will be able to be better, even though we know it will be difficult. We have all the ingredients for tomorrow’s match to be a great football match. May the best team win, and I hope it will be Paris Saint-Germain.
