PSG triumph helps navigate Champions League unknown, insists Luis Enrique

Luis Enrique is confident that Paris Saint-Germain’s 3-1 win against Lille will stand them in good stead ahead of their quest for Champions League glory.

The Spaniard watched on as his side took their scoring to 13 from their first three Ligue 1 games and maintaining PSG’s perfect start to the campaign.

Vitinha’s penalty and Bradley Barcola’s strike gave the visitors an advantage at the break, with Randal Kolo Muani scoring in second-half injury time to confirm the win after Edon Zhegrova had halved the deficit.

The Parisiens enter the international break two points clear of Marseille at the summit, but their attention will quickly to the Champions League later this month.

Enrique’s side have been handed a difficult draw for the competition, squaring off against European heavyweights Manchester City, Bayern Munich and Atletico Madrid as their standout encounters.

They kickstart their campaign against Girona on September 18, with the PSG head coach confident that their victory over Lille, who will also compete in the competition this season, was a good test for his players.

“It was an away game against a team who play in the Champions League, who have already played several games and have a very different rhythm to us,” Luis Enrique said.

“It was a very good test for us, it was a Champions League match for us. I’m pretty happy with the team’s performance.”

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— Paris Saint-Germain (@PSG_English) September 1, 2024

The revamped Champions League format has been extended to 36 teams this season, with each playing eight fixtures in the first round of the competition.

PSG return from the international break with a fixture against another Champions League hopeful, Brest, four days before they begin their journey for that elusive maiden European title.

“There’s the match against Brest after the break and that will have nothing to do with the Champions League and its new format,” Enrique said.

“I can’t know what that will be like. My team is showing signs of confidence but we still lack physical rhythm in several of our players.

“The Champions League is very different and full of new things.”