Soccer Football - Ligue 1 - Paris St Germain v Toulouse - Parc des Princes, Paris, France - November 22, 2024 Paris St Germain coach Luis Enrique REUTERS/Abdul Saboor/File Photo
(Reuters) - Paris St Germain head coach Luis Enrique urged his side to stay positive ahead of their Ligue 1 clash against Nantes at Parc des Princes on Saturday after their disappointing Champions League campaign continued with a loss to Bayern Munich.
The Ligue 1 leaders slumped to a 1-0 defeat at the Allianz Arena on Tuesday, falling to 25th place in the Champions League table with four points and outside the playoff spots with three matches remaining in the first phase.
PSG, whose only win so far in the Champions League this season came against Spanish side Girona in their opener, played with 10 men against Bayern after winger Ousmane Dembele was dismissed for a lunging tackle that brought a second booking in the 56th minute.
"From what we saw, it was positive. We played against a contender for the final away from home. I liked what I saw despite everything, there are always points to improve but it's important to stay positive," Luis Enrique told reporters on Friday.
"Bayern are one of the favourites to win the final. We applied the same pressure as usual. I tried to change things... I haven't seen a team that has troubled them more than us this season...
"I feel confident. We should have nine points in the Champions League. I'm not hiding behind that. I liked what I saw in Munich. I'm very optimistic."
PSG top the Ligue 1 standings with 32 points, having won 10 and drawn two of their 12 matches, while Nantes sit 16th after collecting 10 points. But Luis Enrique said the visitors have nothing to lose when they face-off on the weekend.
"(Nantes) have fewer points than the team deserves. They're coming into the game on a run of (four league) defeats but I'm expecting a tough game," the Spaniard added.
"We need to keep racking up wins and get into good habits with a view to the Champions League."
(Reporting by Pearl Josephine Nazare in Bengaluru; Editing by Toby Davis)
