Paris Saint-Germain defeated Chelsea 5-2 this Wednesday at the Parc des Princes in the first leg of their 2025-2026 Champions League Round of 16 tie (second leg on March 17). Following this victory, PSG coach Luis Enrique spoke at a press conference.
Luis Enrique: “We prepared for the match as usual.”
What allowed you to win against Chelsea?
“We scored three more goals than our opponent. For me, that’s the key.”
Do you have any regrets about not starting Khvicha Kvaratskelia?
“No. What we do is look for the best solutions for the players. If we start the match now, I will do the same thing.”
What have you said to the players in recent days?
“Nothing special.” The coaches are looking to balance the teams. We prepared for the match as usual. We felt the support of our fans the whole time. We continued to play against a physical and technically very good team. We need to rest to prepare for the match in the best possible way.
Enrique: “We’re expecting him in London for a very important match.”
Did Ousmane Dembélé come off due to a muscle strain?
“With the returning players, we need to give them a specific number of minutes to continue their improvement. Ousmane played very well. That’s very good news. We’re expecting him in London for a very important match.”
Can this match be a turning point for PSG?
“Who knows? It’s a special moment because we lack precision. We’re comparing ourselves to last year. It’s impossible to be like last year. We are a very resilient team. That word defines our team and our fans. We dedicate this victory to our fans.”
How do you explain Bradley Barcola’s return to form and recent performances?
“It’s unfair to talk about individual players. We’ve shown that we’re a real team. Everyone did their job. We’ve shown that we’re still very difficult to beat.”
Luis Enrique: “After the international break, we’ll have less time for Ligue 1.”
Do the goals scored bring even more confidence?
“I need to watch them again because I don’t remember any of them. That’s true. We won everything last year because individually and collectively, we’re a good team. Then again, we’re more or less precise.”
Will the full week of preparation change everything?
“It’s good for preparing for the match and getting the players back. We like having time to prepare for matches. After the international break, we’ll have less time for Ligue 1.”
Is PSG 2025 back?
“There’s always a lot of noise around us, which means we’re a big team and a big club. You have to get used to that at big clubs.”
Are you reassured by the intensity your players showed?
“Nobody’s talking about physicality tonight. It’s a cliché to blame it on physicality when you lose. People say: it’s physical, it’s mental. Because it’s hard to explain. We scored three goals at the end. It’s multifactorial, like every time.”
