Paris Saint-Germain travel to the Etihad Stadium for their second Champions League match with Luis Enrique determined to meet Manchester City on attacking terms, while Ousmane Dembélé has dismissed any suggestion that an October night can decide the European campaign.
PSG arrive for a demanding Etihad examination
City have won every Premier League fixture so far and sit top of the table, giving PSG a sharp measure of the level awaiting them in Manchester. Luis Enrique called the occasion both a challenge and a source of motivation, with his entire squad available for the trip.
The PSG coach said City, alongside Barcelona, belong among the leading sides in the top Champions League seeding bracket. He stressed, however, that the result will not determine what follows in the competition.
- Luis Enrique said the real picture of the European season tends to emerge after January, when six months of football have altered squads and form.
- He described the Etihad match as an important opportunity to establish the level of his side rather than a verdict on their Champions League prospects.
- PSG have created a strong expected-goals total at the beginning of the season, he said, although their results have not always matched those chances.
- Despite PSG occupying an unfamiliar position in their domestic league, the coach insisted he was not concerned.
- With no injuries in his group, Luis Enrique said the timing was ideal for his players to show how they can respond to a high-level test.
There will be no tactical retreat from the visitors. Asked whether he might be more cautious against Pep Guardiola’s side, Luis Enrique pointed to his four years in Paris and said his team’s identity is already clear: PSG will seek to attack throughout the match.
He also praised the football associated with Guardiola and Enzo Maresca, saying both teams are enjoyable to watch because their approach combines frequent attacking with solid defending.
City’s case and Donnarumma’s reunion
Questions about the sanction facing Manchester City also followed Luis Enrique into the pre-match press conference. He said the initial reaction to such a case is surprise, but insisted the process must be allowed to run its course before any conclusion is drawn.
From a football standpoint, he believes City deserved the honours they have collected across the past seven years. He hopes the club can avoid punishment, but repeated that the final ruling belongs to the judges. Any discussion with Guardiola on the subject, he added, would remain private.
Luis Enrique will also come up against Gianluigi Donnarumma, the goalkeeper he previously coached in Paris. The Spaniard described leaving the Italian out as a difficult decision and said Donnarumma remains at the same standard he showed at PSG.
“He is a wonderful person,” Luis Enrique said. “I enjoy seeing him happy in Manchester and enjoying his work.”
Dembélé plays down final talk
Dembélé joined his coach before the match and said PSG are pursuing three points, not a statement to the rest of Europe. He labelled City a major opponent with elite players and an outstanding manager, but rejected the description of the game as a final.
- The forward said he spoke with Luis Enrique after his France match and was granted permission to miss Saturday’s game.
- He spent the break resting with friends and family and said he felt well and relaxed.
- Dembélé said the coaching staff manage workloads effectively, noting that he has played 75 matches across all competitions in each of the past two seasons.
- Although he wants to play every game, he accepted that no player can complete a 60-match season without rest.
- He said the focus now is preparation for City and an attempt to take all three points at the Etihad.
For Dembélé, the longer Champions League objective is a top-eight finish in the league phase. PSG have entered the play-off route in each of the last two seasons, even though they managed those ties successfully, and he wants to avoid that extra hurdle this time.
“It is October,” he said. “We are not sending a message to European football. Everyone has seen during the past two years when the truly decisive matches are played.”
Ballon d’Or questions set aside
Luis Enrique also made clear that he has grown tired of Ballon d’Or discussion. He said PSG were among the strongest teams last season and argued that Dembélé is far from the only player in his squad deserving recognition.
He named Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, Fabián Ruiz, Vitinha and Willian Pacho among the players whose contributions underlined PSG’s collective strength. At the Etihad, that collective will be asked to turn promising chance creation into a result that can shape a difficult European week.
