Paris Saint-Germain boss Luis Enrique called on his players to rise to the challenge posed by Premier League leaders Manchester City in their second game of this season’s Champions League league phase.
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PSG, who are in fifth place in Ligue 1, travel to Manchester in north-west England to face a team who have won all six games in the country’s top division under new head coach Enzo Maresca.
“The match is a real challenge and that’s a source of motivation for us,” said Enrique on the eve of Wednesday night’s clash at the Etihad Stadium.
“We’ll be playing away against one of the best teams in the world, and we want to show that we can compete at that level.”
The game will be City’s first in the Champions League since an independent commission found the club guilty of breaching Premier League financial rules.
The Premier League said City had used “sham” commercial contracts as part of schemes to inflate revenue and understate costs by more than €1 billion between 2009 and 2018.
City, who have appealed against the verdict, could face punishments ranging from fines and a points deduction to relegation and potentially being stripped of their titles.
'I love the way they play football'
“There are authorities responsible for making these decisions and we have to wait,” said Enrique of the case.
“But if I speak only about football and the things that I saw on the pitch, Manchester City deserve those trophies.
“I love the way they play football, and after that, you have to wait for the decisions. I think the trophies that you win on the pitch should remain on the pitch, and they deserve to win that.”
Champions League kicks off with Lille, Lens eyeing PSG's crownDuring the period covered by the commission’s findings, Manchester City won three Premier League titles, the FA Cup and three League Cups under coaches Roberto Mancini, Manuel Pellegrini and Pep Guardiola. Over the same period, PSG head coaches Antoine Kombouaré, Carlo Ancelotti, Unai Emery and Thomas Tuchel steered PSG to 21 pieces of silverware.
Success under Enrique
Thirteen more trophies have been added to PSG’s trophy cabinet since Enrique's arrival in July 2023, including the Champions League in 2025 and 2026.
In both of those runs to glory, PSG finished the eight-game league phase in 15th and 11th place respectively in the 36-team competition and had to take part in a play-off to reach the last 16.
“A lot can change for teams over the course of five or six months of the league phase,” added Enrique. “But the game against Manchester City is a big occasion and it’s genuinely motivating for us.
“We’re a team that always looks to attack, and Manchester City are the same. I enjoyed the football they played under Pep Guardiola and I also enjoy what they are doing now.
“They’re top of the league and have a manager with clear playing principles. That’s what makes this match a challenge for us.”
Elsewhere in the league phase on Tuesday night, Lille suffered their second defeat of this season’s competition.
In north London, Arsenal scored three times in seven minutes to crush the Ligue 1 outfit 3-0.
Earlier in northern France, Lens went down 2-0 at home to Sporting.