‘Nobody is better than us,’ says coach Enrique ahead of PSG’s Champions League semis clash with Bayern

Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) coach Luis Enrique insisted Monday that no team in Europe could claim to be better than his right now as the French giants prepare for their Champions League semi-final showdown against Bayern Munich.

“These are the two best teams in Europe, even if Arsenal have also had a great season,” the Spanish coach told reporters on the eve of the semi-final first leg at the Parc des Princes.

“In terms of consistency, maybe Bayern are a little bit above us. But we have shown that no team is better than us.”

PSG are in the semi-finals for a third straight season since Luis Enrique became coach in 2023 and are hoping to claim back-to-back Champions League titles after winning the trophy for the first time last season.

They have reached this stage by defeating Chelsea and Liverpool in the last two rounds.

“It is a real pleasure and it is deserved. You need to be ambitious to get to this stage and I think we are. We still want to go that bit further,” Luis Enrique said.

PSG and Bayern have already met three times since the start of last season: the Germans won 1-0 at home in the league phase in November 2024 and the Parisians triumphed 2-0 in a Club World Cup quarter-final last July in the United States, but Bayern won 2-1 in Paris in the league phase in November.

There have been concerns in the PSG camp about the fitness of Vitinha after the Portuguese playmaker sat out his team’s last two games due to injury.

However, he was back in training on Monday in a big boost to the defending champions.

“Everyone is ready,” said the coach, who also saw Spanish midfielder Fabian Ruiz make his first start in three months after injury last weekend as PSG beat Angers 3-0 in Ligue 1.

Meanwhile, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia cutting inside and dribbling towards the opposition goal is one of the most thrilling sights in football and the Georgian superstar is hoping his wing wizardry can inspire PSG in their semi-final showdown against Bayern.

“I play football because I love it and I am always so pleased to be on the pitch,” the 25-year-old former Napoli man said on Monday, on the eve of the first leg against the German champions in Paris.

If the English Premier League has placed a greater emphasis this season on physicality and set-pieces, the likes of PSG and Bayern have shown with their performances in Europe that football at the very highest level can still be a genuine joy to watch.

“Football has changed and is not the same sport that it was, but of course it is important to do beautiful things and I am proud to be able to,” added Kvaratskhelia, who has been arguably the main driving force in PSG’s run to the brink of another Champions League final.

Signed from Napoli in January last year, Kvaratskhelia played a leading role for Luis Enrique’s side as they made it to the final and demolished Inter Milan 5-0, allowing PSG to become champions of Europe for the first time.

This season, he has been the most prolific of his career, as he now has 15 goals between Ligue 1 and the Champions League, eclipsing the 14 he scored on Napoli’s run to the Serie A title in 2023.

Eight of his goals in this campaign have come in Europe, from a breathtaking strike against Atalanta in September to brilliant finishes in commanding knockout victories against Chelsea and Liverpool.

That finishing ability allied with his tremendous workrate make the player nicknamed “Kvaradona” by Napoli fans an absolute nightmare for opposition defences.

“I think technically I was just as good at Napoli, but I have really improved defensively with Luis Enrique. He has really pushed me,” said Kvaratskhelia, who admits that the Diego Maradona comparisons bring some pressure.

“Sometimes it is also difficult to be compared to Maradona because every time you take to the pitch, you need to live up to that billing.”

Kvaratskhelia has, however, come into peak form at just the right time for the run-in, with seven goals in his last eight appearances.

He was rested by Luis Enrique for PSG’s routine 3-0 win at Angers on Saturday, which saw them take a big step towards retaining the Ligue 1 title -- they are now six points clear of Lens with four games left.

But the Champions League is the main objective and he will be back at kick-off against Bayern along with Ballon d’Or winner Ousmane Dembele as PSG look to seize an advantage to take to Munich for next week’s second leg.

“We played a lot last season so we were a bit tired at the start of this season, but now I think we are in really good shape physically,” said Kvaratskhelia.

With the World Cup approaching, it is a great shame that, even with the expansion of the tournament to 48 teams, there will be no place for a player whose quality was not enough for Georgia to qualify.

That, therefore, places even greater importance for him on the Champions League, although Luis Enrique is adamant that the World Cup is not distracting any of his players from the prospect of more European glory.

“It is the magic of the Champions League -- it gives a special energy to the players and everyone wants to be there and make the most of this tie,” said the Spanish coach.

Agencies