Paris Saint-Germain knows who they’ll need to beat to advance past the UEFA Champions League round of 16 draw. The capital club drew Real Sociedad, a favorable matchup considering the other possibilities.
The Ligue 1 side will welcome the Spanish club to the Parc des Princes on Valentine’s Day. Ahead of the first leg, PSG defender Lucas Hernandez shared his reaction to the matchup that will see him play in Spain again.
“It’s a long time,” Hernandez told Le Figaro (h/t Paris Fans). “It’s a good team; I know it well. But these are the round of 16 of the Champions League. It would have been Real Madrid [or] Barcelona. They are all very good teams. It’s up to us to be very focused. Until then, there is time, a lot of matches, and very important matches.”
Although PSG dodged bigger opponents in the round of 16, Hernandez discussed having finished second behind Borussia Dortmund in the “Group of Death.” As a result, Hernandez was asked whether he was disappointed for not finishing first in the group.
“It was playable,” Hernandez added. “Afterwards, we didn’t have an easy group. We knew that from the start. But it was a goal to qualify. Now we know the team that will be waiting for us in February. It’s up to us to improve every day, every match, to be as ready as possible at that moment.”
Nonetheless, PSG has a pathway to the quarterfinals in this rebuild, and as the teams dwindle, the squad could be thinking, why can’t they go on a deep run that takes the club back to another Champions League final?
