PSG hunting down Champions League three-peat

Luis Enrique is convinced Paris Saint-Germain are capable of a Champions League three-peat.

PSG have won back-to-back Champions League crowns under Luis Enrique, who has also guided the French club to three Ligue 1 titles and two Coupe de France triumphs.

Luis Enrique's team started their Ligue 1 campaign poorly, but have now won three straight top-flight games. 

They opened their Champions League campaign with a 6-1 thrashing of Slovan Bratislava, with a trip to Manchester City next up on Wednesday.

The only team to win the Champions League in three successive seasons were Real Madrid, between 2016 and 2018.

And while Luis Enrique feels there is now even more pressure on him to deliver, he has no doubt his team have the quality to go again in Europe this term.

"I've extended my contract, and now I'm under even more pressure to show that I'm ready to carry on and that I still want to win many more trophies for Paris Saint-Germain," he told PSG's official channels.

"I am not calmer or more relaxed simply because people tell me they are very happy. Parisians often tell me: 'You have changed our lives', but we have to be careful not to exaggerate the importance of football. There are many things in life that are more important.

"We've won it [Champions League] twice in a row, but that's no reason to stop.

"We're built to play in the Champions League. We have an extra incentive: to try and achieve something that only Real Madrid has managed to do so far. It's a special goal.

"That was our primary objective when we arrived here: to make history.

"Everyone knew the club had already won major trophies, but there was no trophy more important to us than the Champions League. For me, as a manager, just as for the players, the desire to win constantly is an essential characteristic of the very highest level."

PSG's clash with City is then followed by another heavyweight contest against Luis Enrique's former club Barcelona next week.

"These [Man City and Barcelona] are two teams that love winning the Champions League, who have already won it and who are among the favourites," Luis Enrique said.

"There are six, seven or eight teams capable of winning this Champions League. We're one of them, but it'll be tough, and we're not the clear favourites."

Since Luis Enrique took charge in July 2023, PSG have scored 439 goals in 183 competitive matches. That is the third-highest goal tally of any team from Europe's top five leagues, behind Bayern Munich (485) and Barca (467).

PSG rank second for expected goals (413.2) in that time, behind Bayern (430.6), while they average the highest possession (66.9%).

And Luis Enrique has no plans to alter his playing style.

"I am fully convinced that this way of playing is the best way to win," he added.

"Normally, I don't always manage to establish this connection. In Paris, it was different. There was a real connection with the fans, with the club, and with this shared desire to improve. There's also the trust Luis Campos placed in me, the quality of the players we recruited, and their ability to adapt to our vision of football.

"This is the first time in my coaching career that this story has lasted this long. It's not easy to stay two, three, or four years at a club. You're constantly connected, always preoccupied with the team's preparation and everything that's important to it."