Luis Enrique cautions PSG about the ‘pitfall’ of holding a two-goal advantage over Liverpool.
Paris Saint-Germain manager Luis Enrique has cautioned his players against falling into a “trap” during the second leg of their UEFA Champions League encounter with Liverpool, despite having convincingly defeated Arne Slot’s team at the Parc des Princes last week.
Goals from Désiré Doué and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia enabled PSG to achieve a 2-0 win in the first leg of their quarterfinal matchup, although the reigning European champions could have secured a more significant victory given their dominance.
This result leaves Liverpool with a glimmer of hope for a comeback when the teams face off again at Anfield on Tuesday night, and Enrique has emphasized the necessity of delivering another solid performance.
“That’s the challenge in this match as you need to be extremely cautious,” Enrique stated. “There are hazards. It’s nearly a trap. Everyone claims ‘you won easily 2-0 and are far superior to the opposition.’ People say that, and it may be true, I can’t say. But circumstances can shift rapidly.
“You must be prepared. You could concede in the first half, and the match remains open. What I believe is that we need to approach this game just like we have with previous matches. [Liverpool] will have to come out and attack, aiming to score, but I need to make sure my team understands it will face challenges. It won’t be straightforward.”
This marks the second consecutive year Liverpool has encountered PSG in the knockout stages of the tournament, with the French side having prevailed on penalties last season after the teams ended with a 1-1 aggregate score in the round of 16.
When asked if his players are now even stronger than they were last season, Enrique replied: “It’s hard to determine if we are stronger this time compared to last. That won’t lead to any conclusions. The key point is that we’ve demonstrated our capabilities and our ability to overcome challenges. That’s one of our strengths. Last year we absolutely needed to win since we lost the first leg. This year we won the first leg, but we will prepare for the second leg in the same manner.”
