Barcelona boss Luis Enrique has managed to cement himself in his role after guiding the club to the quarter-finals of the Champions League by overcoming Manchester City.
Former boss Gerardo Martino failed at the quarter-final stage last season. After having recently retaken the lead in the la Liga, Barcelona will be facing Paris St Germain in the quarter-finals of the European competition. It will be one the toughest tests for the Catalan club, as PSG look very much improved compared to recent years. They have just knocked out Chelsea before reaching this stage.
Enrique says that this provides Barcelona with a huge warning that they cannot take PSG lightly despite the fact that they will be without their star striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic.
The Swedish striker has been suspended for the next three matches after receiving a straight red card against Chelsea in the second leg. This would likely mean that Uruguayan forward Edinson Cavani will be leading the line, but the former Napoli man has not been in the best of form. Barcelona may be playing great football at the moment, but Enrique wants that PSG have the capability to knock them out. Both clubs faced each other only a couple of years ago with Barcelona narrowly edging out in front.
“The absence of Ibrahimovic and Verratti is important but they have other players who are equally dangerous. Having the return leg at home is big. It’s important to get a good result in Paris and try to qualify for the semifinals in front of our fans. We have experience from the group stage, with a win and a defeat. After beating Chelsea they showed they’re a strong candidate to win the competition,” said Enrique. Barcelona, meanwhile, have to look forward to beating Real Madrid in the upcoming El Clasico.