Paris Saint-Germain aim to turn around the 3-2 aggregate situation in the second leg of the UEFA Champions League quarterfinal tie against Barcelona. The final 90 minutes will feature a chess match between managers Luis Enrique and Xavi Hernandez.
Enrique spoke to the media on Monday before the second leg. Before the clock starts, the Spanish coach has high praise for one another, and the two managers aim to push the right buttons to advance to the semifinals.
The PSG manager sees Xavi as having a bright future on the sidelines, regardless of where he continues his career. The current Barcelona boss will leave the Catalan club after this season.
“I have no doubt that Xavi is a top coach; the results speak for themselves,” Enrique told reporters (h/t Mundo Deportivo). “I’ve shared many things with him. I appreciate it, especially for everything we shared when he was captain and I was coach. He helped me and showed himself in a spectacular way. Very nice, I’m going to get emotional and all.”
It will be interesting to see if the 53-year-old can get the best of the manager he once coached. If the Parisians coach crashes out in the quarterfinals, it will be disappointing because of the route they have to the final, where they’d face the winner of the Atletico Madrid-Borussia Dortmund tie.
