Paris Saint-Germain treating Newcastle clash ‘like a final’،
Paris Saint-Germain will approach this week’s Champions League match at home to Newcastle United as a final, coach Luis Enrique said on Monday.
PSG find themselves in a delicately balanced Group F, where all four teams can still progress, and hope to take advantage of home advantage in Tuesday’s match in Paris.
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“The Parc des Princes will carry us, I expect a great atmosphere,” Luis Enrique said during a press conference.
“We really need fans, we need a stadium that is warmer and more passionate than usual.
“We will play this match as a final. At this level, home matches are key matches. The crowd is a special asset for us, we are expecting incredible support.”
PSG lost 4-1 to Newcastle at St James’ Park in October, and after the Premier League side’s 4-1 win over Chelsea on Saturday, Luis Enrique is preparing for another tough challenge.
“They are very strong physically, they are able to press hard and very high, there is a lot of intensity.
“If you saw their last game against Chelsea, the physical [condition] is still at this level. We know that this will still be the case tomorrow, we will have to be ready.”
PSG have won their last six league matches to move to the top of Ligue 1, but the coach expects even more from them.
“The team is not yet what I want, but we are in a process of discovery, we can get even more from our players and we can go even further,” Luis Enrique said.
“But I already like what I see. There is already a lot of satisfaction but there is still a lot of room for improvement.”
Just three points separate group leaders Borussia Dortmund from bottom club Newcastle, but PSG can secure progression if they beat the English side and AC Milan fail to win against Dortmund.
“We are in a difficult and tight group, tomorrow the match will be decisive since the group can be decided after the fifth day,” said Luis Enrique.
“But everything could also be decided on the last day, but I know that my team is ready for tomorrow and can do big things.”
PSG are second in Group F with six points, one point behind Dortmund and one point ahead of Milan, with Newcastle on four points.
