Paris Saint-Germain head coach Luis Enrique has urged his side to avoid letting emotions cloud their judgment when they face Olympique Marseille in Sunday’s Le Classique, Soccernet.football reports.
Enrique’s PSG welcome Ligue 1 rivals Marseille to the Parc des Princes, following a disappointing draw against PSV Eindhoven in the Champions League.
Despite their struggles in Europe, Les Parisiens have been very impressive domestically so far. The reigning champions have won six of their eight games and are currently at the Ligue 1 summit ahead of Monaco on goal difference.
Enrique however believes that their impressive Ligue 1 form counts for nothing heading into Le Classique. The Spaniard expects the game to be an emotional affair, acknowledging that his players would have to exercise great control.
“With this type of match, it doesn’t matter what you’ve done before,” Luis Enrique said as reported by Reuters.
“There’s so much tension. I’m very satisfied, we played a very good game against PSV Eindhoven. I’m very optimistic about what I’m seeing.
“High-voltage matches are almost the easiest, you won’t have a lack of motivation.
“But you have to be careful not to get overly motivated, I take that into account. You need 100% motivation, not 105%. You mustn’t be ruled by emotions.
“We’re five points clear of last year, we’ve started even better. AS Monaco and Marseille are at a different level.
“If that continues, we’ll see. It’s positive for everyone, it keeps the players motivated.”
Enrique also admitted that he had been impressed by current Marseille boss Roberto Di Zerbi during his Brighton spell. Sunday’s game puts both PSG’s away record and Marseille’s home record on the line.
“For me, De Zerbi is an exciting coach that I followed at Brighton. He is a coach who likes to attack, we have that in common,” he said.
“The way he wants to dominate matches, his ability to convince his players… I had a lot of fun (watching) his Brighton team. I hope I won’t have as much fun tomorrow.”
