Paris Saint-Germain are still seeking their first Champions League trophy, but they need ambition rather than pressure in the first leg of their quarter final against Barcelona, manager Luis Enrique said on Tuesday.

PSG last reached the semi-final stage in 2021, and with the Ligue 1 title more or less wrapped up along with a place in the Coupe de France final, focus now turns to the competition which the club desperately wants to win.

“I hope that our ambition overcomes the pressure,” Luis Enrique said at a media conference before Wednesday’s game. “We aren’t feeling pressure at the moment, we are very excited to play at this level and we are trying to qualify for the next round.

“During the group stage, I could see that the players were taking responsibility, and now that has got us here.”

Luis Enrique has already won the Champions League when managing Barcelona, but he doesn’t see his knowledge of the club or their manager Xavi Hernandez as an advantage.

“I don’t know Xavi at all as a coach. I know about him as a player, he was my teammate,” Enrique said. “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.

“It’s an important team for me on an emotional level because of my experiences there. But this is a job and I need to be professional.”

The PSG manager’s dislike of questions regarding Kylian Mbappe continued, when
he was asked about the French forward’s mindset before
the game, having been rested recently.

“I think you are asking about one player but I want to talk about the team because I think that’s more interesting,” Enrique said. “We are in a good situation this season. The mindset is very strong collectively.”

Terror threat

France and Spain stepped up security ahead of the Champions League matches in Madrid and Paris on Tuesday and Wednesday nights, top officials said, as Islamic State threats cast a shadow over Europe’s top football tournament.

French interior minister Gerald Darmanin told reporters that police had “considerably strengthened security” for Wednesday’s fixture between PSG and Barcelona in Paris.

Islamic State published a post urging followers to recreate a November 2015 attack on the Stade de France stadium, according to Site Intelligence group, which tracks Islamic militant communications.