Paris Saint-Germain boss Luis Enrique has declared there is "no team better than us" ahead of their Champions League semi-final first leg against Bayer Munich at the Parc des Princes on Tuesday. The holders face the newly crowned Bundesliga champions in a high-stakes European showdown, with PSG riding a wave of form after winning eight of their last nine matches and leading Ligue 1 by six points.
Confidence from the top
"These are Europe's top two teams," said Luis Enrique at his pre-match press conference. "In terms of consistency, Bayern are perhaps slightly above us because they've only lost two games, but in terms of what we've shown, there's no team better than us."
The Spaniard emphasized an attacking mindset, stating: "You need to attack more than you defend if you want to win, and we know how hard that will be, but we're not here to negotiate — we want to win." PSG have reached this stage after eliminating AS Monaco, Chelsea, and Liverpool in the knockout rounds.
Bavaria's challenge
Bayer Munich arrive in Paris on a run of nine consecutive victories and 16 wins from their last 17 matches across all competitions. Their only defeats this season came at Arsenal in November and Augsburg in January. They have won 11 of their 12 Champions League fixtures, with Harry Kane leading the charge by scoring 53 goals in all competitions — including 12 in Europe.
Despite losing their last five meetings with PSG, including a 2-1 defeat in Paris earlier this season, Bayern manager Vincent Kompany remains confident. "We've already won at the Bernabéu this year and won in Paris," he said. "Paris are obviously still the Champions League holders, but if any team can take on this challenge, it's us. We know how good Paris are, but we want this game."
Rivalry renewed
This tie marks the 15th meeting between the two clubs in the competition and the ninth in just eight seasons, underlining a growing European rivalry. Kompany, who will watch from the stands due to a touchline ban, believes fine margins will decide the outcome. "Both teams have so much creativity. It's about details, intensity and energy," he said. "We've got experience against them, but that's the same for our opponent."