Paris Saint-Germain coach Luis Enrique has urged his players to take inspiration from the legendary rivalry between tennis players Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer ahead of their crucial Champions League semi-final against Bayern Munich.
The Spanish coach stressed that facing such a strong team should motivate the players to raise their level to reach a second consecutive final.
The reigning champions travel to Bavaria after a spectacular first leg that ended with a 5-4 victory for the Parisians.
It was a chaotic duel where, despite Bayern Munich's dominance in possession and constant threat in attack, the French team emerged victorious.
Doubles from Ousmane Dembélé and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, along with a goal from João Neves, overcame goals from Harry Kane, Michael Oliseh, Dayot Upamecano and Luis Díaz.
The Germans created six clear chances, but were ultimately punished in a crazy 90-minute match.
Instead of feeling intimidated by the atmosphere or the opponent, the former Barcelona coach wants his team to embrace this big moment.
He made an interesting comparison to individual sports to motivate players.
"Tomorrow we will play in Munich to be more competitive than ever. Rafa Nadal once said that at one point in his career, facing Federer and Djokovic was a motivation for him. This is what we want too; we have admiration for Bayern, but this is a motivation to be better. Tomorrow we will look to beat a team that is playing sensationally," he said.
Paris Saint-Germain have been excellent on the move this season and the coach has no intention of defending simply to maintain a minimal advantage.
He expects an open and aggressive approach.
"When you play matches like this, against an opponent that is undoubtedly the strongest we have ever faced, the first thing I want to emphasize is that we have a one-goal advantage, but that does not represent anything in football. We have the experience of last year. We always seek to live up to the expectations of our fans," he concluded./Express newspaper/
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