Paris Saint-Germain and Borussia Dortmund provided plenty of entertainment in the Champions League quarter-finals and their last-16 tie promises more of the same, says Luis Enrique.
Both teams came back from defeats in the first leg and reached the semi-finals. PSG won 4-1 in Barcelona after a 3-2 defeat in the French capital, and Dortmund beat Atletico Madrid 4-2 to bounce back from defeat in Spain.
“I think that’s how it went in the quarter-finals based on Dortmund’s style of play and the way we play,” PSG head coach Luis Enrique said at a news conference.
“I think it could be a wonderful spectacle, not just for the two fan bases but for everyone who loves football. I think there will be goals given the quality and ability of both teams to get to the opponent’s goal.”
PSG had never before overturned a first-leg home defeat in the Champions League and while the Spaniard believes it can help his players, he also knows that history counts for little at this point.
“I really hope it frees us up because it’s something we’ve never done before after losing the first leg. I also have experiences that show how important it is to be competitive tomorrow,” said Luis Enrique.
“What we have achieved so far doesn’t matter. The story is great, but our goal is to win tomorrow. We don’t want to leave it to chance and are thinking about the second leg at the Parc des Princes.”
History could also weigh on PSG, as they have lost all four games of their previous two-legged Champions League semi-final encounters – against Milan in 1994-95 and Manchester City in 2020-21.
However, the Parisians won their one-sided round of 16 against RB Leipzig in the interrupted 2019/20 season, while Dortmund reached the final in two of their three semi-final appearances.
From Paris to Dortmund with our Parisians!
— Paris Saint-Germain (@PSG_English) April 30, 2024
Dortmund and PSG have met previously this season, with the German side topping their group, but PSG beat them at the Parc des Princes and managed a 1-1 draw in the away game.
Luis Enrique believes his team, who secured a third successive Ligue 1 title on Sunday, have improved since then – and hints there is more to come.
“We have improved in all areas. We are better defensively and better going forward,” the former Barcelona coach continued.
“We can definitely continue to improve. And that is one of the characteristics of the way we manage the club and the team, trying to be demanding and not thinking that everything is done.”
PSG appear to be favorites to progress, with Dortmund having won just one of their six meetings with the French side in all competitions (D3 L2).
Dortmund beat PSG 2-1 in the first leg of the 2019/20 Champions League round of 16 before going out 3-2 on aggregate and Luis Enrique expects another difficult task on Wednesday.
“It shows that the press doesn’t know much about football,” he joked before the first meeting at Signal Iduna Park.
“I’ve been saying that for a long time. The great thing about being here is enjoying a very special game in a unique stadium in Europe and having the chance to make our fans really happy by reaching the final.”
However, PSG have a big challenge ahead, considering Dortmund are unbeaten in their last 10 Champions League home games (W6 D4), the longest such streak in the competition anywhere.