Soccer Football - Champions League - Paris St Germain Press Conference - Paris-Saint-Germain Training Centre, Poissy, France - April 9, 2024 Paris St Germain coach Luis Enrique during the press conference REUTERS/Stephanie Lecocq
(Reuters) - Paris St 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 wants to win more than any other.
"I hope that our ambition overcomes the pressure," Luis Enrique told a press 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, a club where he also spent eight seasons as a player, 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."
Security will be reinforced for the game at Parc des Princes, after what the Interior Minister for France Gerald Darmanin called a "clear threat publicly mentioned by the Islamic State that particularly targets stadiums".
"I think everyone is worried about terrorist threats. I hope it can be controlled," Enrique said.
"And I hope it's just a threat."
(Reporting by Trevor Stynes; Editing by Hugh Lawson)
