Soccer Football - Ligue 1 - Auxerre v Paris St Germain - Stade de l'Abbe-Deschamps, Auxerre, France - December 6, 2024 Paris St Germain coach Luis Enrique reacts REUTERS/Catherine Steenkeste/File Photo
(Reuters) - Paris St Germain manager Luis Enrique believes his side have what it takes to defeat RB Salzburg on Tuesday in a game they must win despite a nightmare start to their Champions League campaign.
PSG have four points from five games and risk missing the cut for the knockout stage as they sit in 25th place - two points outside the playoff positions.
However, the French side's defeats have come against high calibre opponents, including Champions League regulars Atletico Madrid and Bayern Munich plus last season's Premier League runners-up Arsenal.
They can also take heart from their performances in Ligue 1, where they are unbeaten after 14 matches and have a five-point lead at the top.
With a clash against 2023 champions Manchester City coming up in January, the game with Salzburg in Austria and their final group match at VfB Stuttgart could represent PSG's best chances to earn points and rise up the standings.
"There are no easy away games, either in the (French) league or in the Champions League," Luis Enrique told reporters on Monday.
"It's a game tomorrow that's vitally important for us and I hope my team isn't too affected. From the 19 or 20 games I've seen, I like what I see, my team gives me confidence ... The magic formula is clear: create more chances than your opponents.
"You have to create 20, 25 or even 30 chances, which is all the better. And we have to concede as few goals as possible and make sure our opponents have fewer chances. We're going to try and improve. We need to keep our confidence up. We have to keep pressing."
Asked if he was targeting a specific number of points to ensure PSG would reach the knockout stages, the Spaniard added: "Nobody knows how many points will be needed, it's impossible to guess. We don't want to get into that. We have to win the three remaining games, that's our objective."
PSG have one of the youngest squads in the Champions League, with an average age of 24, but Luis Enrique said inexperience was not a factor in their poor showing in Europe this season.
"I think our young players have experience. Those who were here last season are used to high standards," he added.
"I try to get the best out of the individual and the team. I love matches like tomorrow's ... These are games you have to win. I never line up my players according to their age but according to what I see in training."
(Reporting by Aadi Nair in Bengaluru; Editing by Ken Ferris)
