![Playoffs Ready: [Team Name] Confident & Prepared](https://i.f1g.fr/media/cms/1200x630_crop/2026/01/29/4d1a03061ca9660e4ed54b49247cbbeca38c4598cf1ee64693796ac94416857a.jpg "Playoffs Ready: [Team Name] Confident & Prepared")
The Spanish coach takes stock after the draw against the Magpies on Wednesday in Paris. Result which sends PSG into the Champions League play-offs.
Full stop, that’s all. The Parisians could not do better than a draw against Newcastle (1-1) on Wednesday, at the Parc des Princes, during the eighth and final day of the Champions League. They therefore finish 11th in the standings and will face Monaco or Qarabag in the play-offs. A waste… Luis Enrique expressed his feelings at a press conference. Believing that PSG “deserved» to win, the Spanish technician wants to be positive with a view to the knockout phase, even if he readily admits that his team can be improved. He also raised the issue of goalkeepers.
The match : «It was a very good first period. We started in a positive way. We missed a penalty (Dembélé in the 4th, Editor’s note), but we had opportunities to score more than one goal. The last action of the first act, we took the goal (45+2)… It hurts. The second half, he lacked a bit of the ability to generate more chances but it was hard because physically, they are a strong and interesting team. We knew the difficulty before. We deserved to win, a little more (than them), that’s my opinion anyway».
Also read
PSG’s notes against Newcastle: Dembélé clumsy, Gifted upside down, Zaire-Emery strong, Vitinha tried
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Less strong in weak times : “It’s the schedule, the draw. If there’s a team ready for the play-offs and playoffs, it’s us. It’s clear. We need to improve, I’m the first to think so. An important player (Khvicha Kvaratskhelia) is injured again on an action that is difficult to judge… We will see tomorrow (Thursday), he will do the tests.»
The positive thing is that when you always play against top teams, you are ready for the play-offs, the next matches if you deserve to advance.
Luis Enrique
Two points from the last three Champions League matches : «Can we play better? Yes, it’s clear. Better results? That’s clear too. But by analyzing our matches, we are here, we are ready, we will see who we will play against in the play-off (Monauco Editor’s note). I am very demanding of my team. We can improve in many aspects, but we have to see the quality of our opponents. The positive thing is that when you always play against top teams, you are ready for the play-offs and the following matches if you deserve to advance. If we talk about the last two matches, today (Wednesday), we deserved to win. As for the match in Lisbon (against Sporting, 2-1 defeat ), it was very undeserved».
Matfey Safonov titulaire : «If I can explain this choice? I can’t say anything. When you see my decisions in the future, it will be very clear to everyone. I have no problem rotating goalies, I don’t know if I will (in the future). I’m open to trying and I ask my players to be ready all the time. But I don’t know what I’m going to do.»
“Kvara’s” injury : «It’s an ankle injury . It’s complicated… But I hope I’m wrong and that we’ll have good news tomorrow (Thursday) anyway».
We will have to give everything, but I repeat, I see no one other than us as favorite, no one.
Luis Enrique
From worry : «No, that doesn’t worry me. I think we dominated, we made them suffer. We play a very different style, a style of creation, occupying spaces, having the ball, putting pressure… I can’t fault my team. It’s obvious that there have been players for whom it’s difficult to reach their best level, but that’s understandable. The attitude is there, the desire is there. We know that there is still a long way to go. We will see if we will have to face Monaco or Qarabag. We will have to give everything, but I repeat, I see no one other than us as favorite, no one».
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Comments collected at a press conference
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