Bayern pose a major threat, Luis Enrique warns PSG stars

Enrique Dembele

Paris Saint-Germain manager Luis Enrique has rallied his star players ahead of Tuesday's showdown at Bayern Munich, drawing inspiration from tennis great Rafael Nadal.

"My Spanish compatriot once said that, at one point in his career, matches against Federer and Djokovic provided extra motivation, as you tend to raise your game even further when facing such strong opponents. I've told my players the same thing," Enrique said ahead of Wednesday's Champions League semi-final second leg (9:00 pm CET, DAZN) in Munich.

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"We admire Bayern because they play beautiful football. It's a challenge," the PSG manager said. "But that's also extra motivation to push ourselves to the limit once again and improve."

However, he also stressed that he must rein in his stars, including World Footballer of the Year Ousmane Dembélé: "If you're over-motivated, it doesn't help the cause. We need to keep our emotions in check," added Enrique.

Achraf Hakimi

PSG will be without Hakimi but still holds a "slight advantage" over Bayern Munich.

After the 5-4 thriller in Paris, PSG needs only a draw at the Allianz Arena to progress. "Our aim is always to win. That's our mentality. We don't plan to sit back and defend the result," the Spaniard explained, adding that another thriller like the one a week ago is possible: "I don't know if it will be any different. Neither team will accept that the other is better. There will be extraordinary moments."

PSG lifted the trophy in Munich last year (5-0 vs. Inter), and now, en route to the Budapest final on 30 May, they hold a "slight advantage. We are ready," added Enrique.

He will, however, be without injured full-back Achraf Hakimi, likely to be replaced by Warren Zaïre-Emery. The 20-year-old, normally a midfielder, added, "This could be another crazy game. We have to keep a cool head."