Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) lost the Champions League semi-final first leg 1-0 to Borussia Dortmund, but that doesn’t mean they will go all out to score twice in the return game, manager Luis Enrique said on Monday.
The Ligue 1 champions overturned a one-goal deficit against Barcelona in the quarter finals, winning 4-1 in the second leg, but PSG are prepared to take the game with Dortmund to extra time if that is what is needed.
“The aim isn’t to win by two goals, but to win, if you think you have to score two goals that seems like a big target,” Luis Enrique told a news conference ahead of Tuesday’s game in Paris.
“We just want to play and score. If we score in the 89th minute, it will carry on. We don’t need to score right away, we just want to win the game.
The manager wants his side concentrated on all aspects of their game, not only in attack, and a goal from the Germans won’t be the end of the world.
“You could score twice in two minutes, but you could also concede a goal,” Luis Enrique said.
“We have to be 100 per cent focused on attack and defence. If we concede a goal, it is not serious, we have to stay calm. If we score twice very quickly, our opponents will have to react.
“It will be an even game with a high level of play on and off the ball, so it will be tough for both teams.”
Since last week’s loss, Luis Enrique has declared on more than one occasion that PSG will win the return game, and the Spaniard explained why.
“That is the only sentence I know in French, ‘on va gagner’ we are going to win,” the coach said.
“It is a sentence I like, and I always think my team will win, so that is what I say.”
PSG have home advantage for the second leg, and Enrique has no doubt that the Parc des Princes will once again be a driving force for his team.
“I think the role of the fans will be vital, as it has been throughout the season,” the manager said.
“We have a total guarantee that the fans will be fully behind us as they have been all year, particularly when we need them.”
Final game
Kylian Mbappe plays his final Champions League game in Paris with PSG. But it’s the defence that is back in the spotlight.
No doubt Mbappe will be greeted with loud cheers and applause when he takes to the pitch.
It will be his final Champions League match in the French capital in a PSG shirt.
Mbappe is leaving the club this summer after a seven-season stint, hoping the journey concludes with a Champions League triumph in Wembley on June 1.
But first things first, as Mbappe tries to engineer a fightback against Dortmund.
The France striker was a disappointment in the first leg and PSG now expect a strong reaction from the club’s all-time leading scorer to overturn the deficit, especially after he failed to score in his last two appearances against Dortmund.
“We’re confident we’ll qualify for the final,” Mbappe said on Sunday.
Coach Enrique has more worries in defence after Lucas Hernandez was ruled out for the remainder of the season with an anterior cruciate ligament rupture that required surgery.
The injury was a tough blow to PSG, who have conceded 14 goals in the competition this season but finally stabilised the heart of their defence with the pairing of Marquinhos and Hernandez.
