Dembélé states PSG will maintain pressure on Chelsea in the second leg.
Ousmane Dembélé is feeling driven as he approaches the pivotal phase of the season and is determined to excel for Paris Saint-Germain and France, while both he and manager Luis Enrique are committed to maintaining pressure on Chelsea in the upcoming second leg of their Champions League encounter on Tuesday.
The dynamic forward finally feels in peak condition after dealing with persistent injuries and aims to reclaim the spotlight. He recalls his contributions from last season when he played a key role in PSG’s first Champions League triumph and secured the Ballon d’Or.
“I am even more focused on winning another title with PSG,” he stated on Monday, just a day before the Champions League return leg against Chelsea. “It’s also a World Cup year, and I am highly motivated. I recognize that I’ve faced some injury challenges, but I need to prove myself.”
Calf and hamstring issues have caused Dembélé to miss 14 matches and to exit other games prematurely this season.
However, his remarkable solo goal in the 5-2 first-leg victory last Wednesday—where he sprinted from the halfway line—was reminiscent of the Dembélé from last season and his career-high tally of 35 goals.
“I enjoy being heavily involved in the game,” Dembélé remarked. “I like to make runs and create opportunities, and you must be at 100% to fulfill this role. I aim to score or assist in every match, and that hasn’t changed.”
The three-goal advantage may seem daunting for a Chelsea team that has slipped out of the Premier League’s top four, but Luis Enrique anticipates a challenging match.
“There are four teams with three-goal [leads],” the PSG coach noted, referring to Manchester City, Tottenham, and Sporting CP, who are all in a similar position. “We’ll see how many will progress. It’s impossible to relax in the Champions League, impossible. Chelsea will have opportunities.”
Last season, PSG nearly faltered against Aston Villa in the quarterfinals, despite winning the first leg 3-1 in Paris and taking a 2-0 lead in the return fixture. Ultimately, PSG was hanging on at 3-2 down and narrowly avoided extra time.
“It was a clear illustration of what can occur in a football match,” Luis Enrique commented.
Dembélé expressed confidence in PSG’s ability to resist any potential comeback.
“Luis Enrique used the term resilience, which defines our team. You must be prepared to endure in this competition,” he stated. “Any team that has won it has faced challenges, just as we did against Aston Villa and Arsenal [in the semifinals last season].”
This does not imply that PSG will focus solely on defense, the France international emphasized.
“We cannot simply sit back in the last 15-20 meters and defend a lead,” Dembélé explained. “Our mindset is always to win a match.”
For PSG, one of their challenges is determining who will make the starting XI from a talented squad.
Dembélé is a guaranteed starter, but Luis Enrique must choose between Khvicha Kvaratskhelia—arguably the top goal-scoring winger globally—Désiré Doué, who netted two goals in last year’s Champions League final, or the revitalized Bradley Barcola.
Kvaratskhelia made a significant impact as a substitute in the first leg last week, scoring twice and assisting on Vitinha’s goal as PSG secured a convincing win. The match was level, and Chelsea appeared threatening until a 74th-minute error from goalkeeper Filip Jörgensen handed PSG a lead that was later extended by Kvaratskhelia’s two late goals.
For his first goal, Kvaratskhelia cut in from the left and unleashed a powerful strike past Jörgensen. The Georgia international prefers to operate on the left wing, but that is where Barcola plays, and his current form makes him difficult to exclude.
“Many players adapt to different positions,” Dembélé noted. “The coach appreciates players who can fulfill various roles.”
Information from The Associated Press was utilized in this report.
