With Christophe Galtier’s sacking in 2023, PSG finally decided (at least on paper) not to aggressively pursuit the Champions League, Qatar owner’s ‘Holy Grail’. With the steady but firm hand of director Luis Campos, the Parisians started a squad overhaul and brought in an expert who won the Champions League as a coach. Luis Enrique is the first tactician since Carlo Ancelotti in 2013 who is leading the Parisians and knows the feeling of wining the much desired trophy. Even the club’s president lowered down is Champions League expectations at the beginning of the current season, especially after they were drawn in a Group of ‘Death’ with Newcastle, AC Milan and Dortmund. But they somehow managed all that and are now one game away from a semi-final (their first since 2021. After that season, they were eliminated twice in the Round of 16).UCL: Raphinha’s brace and Xavi’s subs enough for a win in ParisSo, expectations must be high again, even thou nobody dares to say it. Especially after a 2-3 defeat in Paris by Barcelona. The prospect of getting into the semi-finals where a winner of Dortmund – Atletico Madrid would wait them is really a good one, but first they need to win in Catalunya. They also have to break their negative record of advancing to the next stage after a bad result in the first leg. No problem, if you ask coach Luis Enrique.“PSG has never been able to qualify after losing in the first leg, but on Tuesday we will do it. We haven’t played since the first leg, we had time to analyze and try to improve our performance. The first leg was very competitive. The result does not reflect what we deserved. We could have equalized. But we got this result. We have to present a better version of ourselves. We have to push ourselves. I think we are a team that does not speculate, that word does not exist for us. We are convinced that we will turn the situation around. We must not exaggerate, after 27 games we must accept defeat, congratulate Barca and we must prepare for Tuesday. We fall, we get up. It’s high-level sport. We must be used to that. We had time to better prepare our game plan. And I repeat, we are ready. All the players on my team want to win. The whole team, everyone who is part of PSG and our fans obviously. We want to give back to them with a victory” said Enrique.’I am more Barca than Xavi’This is not the Spaniard’s first bold claim. After all, everybody remembers that before the first match, he claimed that he represents Barca’s values more than Xavi. And he explained those lines too.“I’m not new to the world of football, I know that everything I can say will be badly received. I also said that I would have liked to be coached by Xavi. But what interests me is the controversy. I made my claim, I maintain it. A defeat is not going to change my opinion. I would have liked to have had him as a coach, like Luis Aragonés, like Pep Guardiola… But I will not have the opportunity to be coached by Xavi. And I would have liked to know him from the inside, in his strategy, his preparation for matches. But he is at the top, the results show it” said Xavi’s former coach ahead this game.UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUEQuarterfinals – second legTuesday22:00: (2.30) Dortmund (3.50) Atl.Madrid (3.25) /first leg 1-2/22:00: (2.30) Barcelona (3.70) PSG (3.15) /first leg 3-2/Wednesday22:00: (2.45) Bayern (3.60) Arsenal (2.95) /first leg 2-2/22:00: (1.67) Man.City (3.80) Real Madrid (5.30) /first leg 3-3/***odds are subject to change***
