Ahead of PSG-Barcelona on Tuesday in the Champions League, Luis Enrique wants to starve Lamine Yamal of the ball. Achraf Hakimi, Morocco’s vice-captain, is expected on the Parisian right flank, while Nuno Mendes, who went off injured on Saturday, is still being assessed.
The Parc des Princes hosts FC Barcelona on Tuesday evening for matchday 3 of the Champions League league phase. At a press conference on Monday afternoon, Paris Saint-Germain head coach Luis Enrique set out his plan against the Catalans: starve them of the ball and impose Paris’s rhythm. According to Canal Supporters, Achraf Hakimi is set to occupy the right flank.
PSG go into this clash having beaten Manchester City 4-2 on matchday 2. Unbeaten in Europe this season, the club nevertheless sit 6th in Ligue 1.
The ball as the first line of defence
“The best way to defend against Lamine Yamal is to have the ball. That’s our ideal scenario, but we know it will be difficult against Barça. We stay focused on overcoming that as a team,” Luis Enrique told the press, according to the club’s official website.
The Asturian coach also refused to overplay the stakes. “Our goal is to win tomorrow. If we start looking ahead to the rest of the competition, this match will lose its intensity. These are two very big clubs with a magnificent philosophy of play,” he added, again according to PSG.fr. For him, this duel should not be treated as a final before its time, even though both teams are among the tournament’s natural favourites.
This meeting pits Luis Enrique against his former club, whom he led to a historic treble in 2015.
Hakimi on the right flank
In this setup, the right flank belongs to Achraf Hakimi, selected to contain Barcelona’s attack. This is information reported by Canal Supporters. The Moroccan full-back, PSG’s vice-captain, fits into a plan built first and foremost on possession, with Luis Enrique believing that the best defensive solution against Lamine Yamal is to starve him of the ball and impose Paris’s rhythm.
Mendes, the uncertainty on the left
The left flank is where the questions lie. Portuguese left-back Nuno Mendes went off with a thigh injury during the 3-1 win over Strasbourg in Ligue 1 on Saturday. The staff had tests carried out at the Campus PSG, Canal Supporters reports. Luis Enrique said the staff did not want to take any risks with the player; his involvement is still to be assessed.
Against Strasbourg, PSG notably benefited from a decisive cameo from Ousmane Dembélé, but finished the match with 10 men after Mendes went off.