LUIS ENRIQUE, BOSS OF PSG, HIGHLIGHTS WHERE NEWCASTLE UNITED ARE ‘VERY STRONG’

Luis Enrique has warned Paris Saint-Germain that they must prepare for Newcastle United’s aggressive pressing and ‘intensity’ in the Champions League rematch at the Parc des Princes on Tuesday.

With the 4-1 thrashing at St James’ Park still fresh in their minds, the PSG side will have needed the former Barcelona manager to warn them of what may go wrong if they are not at their best and most fired-up against Eddie Howe’s Newcastle United.

On Tyneside, the Magpies outran, outfought, and outscored Paris Saint-Germain. And, with Bruno Guimaraes, Anthony Gordon, Miguel Almiron, and others ready to run through brick walls once more, Enrique knows his squad cannot afford another half-hearted performance against a side tasting blood.

Newcastle player Sean Longstaff celebrates after scoring the third goal during the UEFA Champions League

PSG face Newcastle United again

“They’re physically very strong. And they’re able to press high and hard, with a lot of intensity,” Enrique tells the PSG website. “We know that that will be the case again, so we’ll need to be ready.

Our aim is always the same regardless of the match. To keep the ball in the opposition’s half in order to stop them from creating chances. In the Champions League, your opponents have more quality. But we still want to have the same aim of being at our best in both attack and defence.”

Enrique faced more criticism than most of his players on the back of that St James’ shellacking, a four-man frontline leaving PSV’s midfield exposed up against the energy and the tenacity of Guimares, Sandro Tonali and Sean Longstaff.

Newcastle, however, head to the French capital with pressure on their own shoulders. Successive defeats to Borussia Dortmund mean that PSG victory is their only group-stage win so far, with an early exit from the competition now a very real possibility.

Make or break for Newcastle’s hopes

“It’s difficult to give instant answers about tactical setups,” Enrique adds. “Tactical outlines make sense, but no team in the world plays in a fixed shape. Everything changes depending on the game and on where the ball is. We adapt to our needs at any given moment.

“It all changes if we press high, if we press low or if we don’t get into the final third. And it also all changes depending on our opponents. We have a basis that we’ll start the game with.”

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