Luis Enrique, the head coach of Paris Saint-Germain, revealed that he was not truthful when he previously stated that he was not thinking about facing Liverpool before the last Ligue 1 match, confirming that the anticipated European clash has been on his mind since the Champions League draw was made.

In strong statements before the second leg against Liverpool, Enrique said: "I lied to you when I said I wasn't thinking about Liverpool; in fact, I have been thinking about this match since the moment the draw was made, just like everyone else."

The Spanish coach added while speaking about his team: "At the same time, I want to highlight the fantastic work the players are doing, whether they are regulars or play fewer minutes, or even those who haven’t had the chance to participate; everyone has a high competitive mentality and fights for all the titles, it is an honor for me to coach this team."

Regarding preparations for the Anfield clash, Enrique confirmed the team's readiness, saying: "All the players are in good shape, and we have no injuries. The first leg left us with few options; we are required to win, and that is our only goal. Nothing will change compared to the other matches; we always play to win."

When asked about the possibility of improving the performance compared to the first leg, Enrique replied: "Yes, there are things that can be improved. We know the circumstances will be different, and the match will be more balanced tomorrow, but I am confident. It is important to control the critical moments of the game; we must defend and attack as a team."

On his confidence in his team's ability to qualify since the first leg, Enrique explained: "We followed our usual schedule throughout the week, we analyzed the match on Thursday, then focused on the Rennes match. We didn’t change our approach; there is only one option, to enter the pitch to win, because we are currently out of the competition, there was no other way to think."

He added: "We have confidence in what we do well, and we know what we need to improve. If we can maintain possession, which is the basis of our style, we will be able to manage things better."

He continued: "I am sure the players are excited to play; we know what it means to play here, and this is a great motivation for us. We want to show that we can deliver a great match, and that is our goal and our biggest motivation."

On the advice he gives to his players hours before the match, Enrique stated: "I have repeated this many times before; it is a tough challenge for everyone, even for the experienced ones. We shouldn’t play at 105% because that could lead to overdoing it, but at the same time, it is hard to maintain a level at 100%; these are not easy matches in terms of preparation."

When asked about his ability to achieve a comeback like he did with Barcelona against Paris Saint-Germain in 2017, losing 4-0 then winning 6-1, and with Paris against Barcelona last season, losing 3-2 then winning 4-1, Enrique replied: "No, I don’t like that; I prefer to win 4-0 in the first leg, but throughout my career, I have realized that the worst situations can also be interesting."

About his discussions with his players after the first leg loss to Liverpool, even though he usually does not do that, he said: "I have always said that I do not talk to players after matches because I don’t see that as the right time, but yes, I spoke to them after the Liverpool match because I felt it was necessary to boost their morale. It was an exception, and I don’t think I will repeat that."