PSG coach Luis Enrique is not ready to consider his team as favorites against Aston Villa.
As PSG faces Aston Villa in the quarterfinals of the Champions League, many see PSG as the favorite. However, Enrique does not share that opinion. He believes that there is no such thing as a favorite in football.
In the lead-up to the first leg of the quarterfinals on Wednesday, Enrique dismissed the favorite theory during a press conference the day before the match.
“Against Liverpool (in the Round of 16), the bookmakers said we had no chance. In football, there is no such thing as favorites,” Enrique said.
“All eight teams in the quarterfinals are here because they deserve to be. On the field, we are capable of winning, but we must do what is necessary to achieve that.”
PSG forward Kylian Mbappé echoed the coach’s thoughts.
“Aston Villa deserves to be here. I don’t think talking about favorites is helpful. Aston Villa has a great team with some very good players.”
From 2016 to 2018, Unai Emery was the coach of PSG. Now, after a long time, he is back in Paris with Aston Villa. Enrique has great respect for Emery.
“He is an incredible coach. Aston Villa is a fantastic team, and they’ve made significant progress in the last two years, all thanks to Unai Emery,” Enrique said.
“Aston Villa is similar to us in that they have many players who can play in different positions. It’s hard to predict who will play, especially after the winter transfer window, where they’ve added quality to their squad. This will be an open and difficult battle for both teams.”
PSG will play just three days after winning their 13th French league title. Enrique is confident that his team will maintain their focus on the field.
“I believe we will see the best version of PSG. We will continue to play the same way, with the same or even greater intensity.”
