Luis Enrique is offering no guarantees regarding Kylian Mbappe’s involvement in Paris Saint-Germain’s Champions League campaign, after saying the French giants need to become accustomed to playing without him.
Last month, it was reported that Mbappe had informed PSG of his desire to join Real Madrid on a free transfer when his contract expires at the end of the season.
Mbappe has been substituted in each of PSG’s last three games, being taken off at half-time as the Parisiens played out a goalless draw with Monaco in Ligue 1 on Friday.
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After that match, Luis Enrique said PSG must “get used to” playing without Mbappe, who has 32 goals and seven assists in 33 appearances across all competitions this season.
Asked whether the same policy might apply in the second leg of their Champions League tie against Real Sociedad on Tuesday, Luis Enrique said: “Maybe yes, maybe not. Who knows?”
Pushed on the difficulties of dealing with the speculation surrounding Mbappe’s future, the Spaniard added: “I manage it in a very simple way.
“We have to accept that when you ask these types of questions, I am not going to give you the answer that you want.”
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PSG take a 2-0 lead to the Basque Country, with Mbappe and Bradley Barcola on target as they edged a tight first leg at the Parc des Princes three weeks ago.
The Ligue 1 champions have suffered their fair share of Champions League humiliations in recent years, going out in the last 16 in five of the last seven seasons.
Many of those eliminations – most notably against Barcelona in 2016-17 and Real Madrid in 2021-22 – have come via embarrassing second-leg collapses, but Luis Enrique is determined to change the narrative around the club.
Night before our @ChampionsLeague game at the Reala Arena in San Sebastian.#RSOPSG I #UCL ✨ pic.twitter.com/veLNkBiMNu
— Paris Saint-Germain (@PSG_English) March 4, 2024
“We all know the theory, but when you play away from home, there are many variants that influence matches,” he said.
“A goal can change the whole atmosphere. We have to be ready for any difficult situation. Even though most fans will be with the home team, we want to enjoy the atmosphere and overcome it.
“We need to be solid and ambitious, and not leave anything to chance. I’ve repeated the aim for tomorrow.
“We want to win the game. We don’t just want to get through, we want to win. We want to ensure the game is not as difficult as it could be.”
