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- Paris St Germain head coach Luis Enrique is happy to be playing Spanish side Real Sociedad in the Champions League last 16, but expects a tough outing as the season moves into a difficult second half.
- PSG qualified for the knockout stage finishing second in Group F, while an unbeaten Sociedad topped Group D.
- “I’m pleased with the draw because I really wanted to go back to Spain,” the former Barcelona and Spain coach told reporters on Tuesday.
- “We know Real Sociedad really well. They have lots of players who have been with Spain, in the national team with me.
- “We know it will be tough. They won a group that included Inter Milan who were finalists in the title last season. And they still managed to finish top.”
- Luis Enrique, who joined PSG in July, said he was still in the process of improving the team to get the best out of them.
- “I am very pleased with the first half of the season in terms of results,” he said.
- “We had such a tough Champions League group. And in the end we’ve had good results also in the league.
- “The most difficult part is still to be done in the second half of the season.”
- PSG have a five-point lead at the top of the Ligue 1 standings and face 14th-placed Metz on Wednesday. However, Luis Enrique told his side not to be complacent against their opponents, who are coming off three straight losses.
- “It will be a really difficult game… they will leave us with very little spaces to attack,” he said.
- “We will need to be very precise and accurate to exploit those spaces.”
- The matchday will meet with the birthday of Kylian Mbappe who has scored 164 league goals for PSG, including 16 this season from 15 appearances.
- “Kylian Mbappe is still very young at 25. He is the age of my son which is quite something,” Luis Enrique said.
- “I hope that Kylian Mbappe gets so much more success both collectively and individually. We hope that will be here at PSG and we hope to help him grow.”
