Luis Enrique believes Paris Saint-Germain's Ligue 1 clash with Lille this Saturday is the ideal preparation for their Champions League tie with Liverpool next week. (More Football News)
After finishing 15th in the new 36-team standings, PSG brushed aside Br✅est in the play-off knockout round to reach the last 16 of Europe's elite competition.
Their reward was a meeting with Arne Slot's side, who sit atop o♌f the Premier League by 13 points aꩵnd also finished at the summit of the first phase of the Champions League.
But Lille, who automatically qualified for the Champions League last 16 after finishing🔜 inside the top eight of the league, will pose the𒐪 Parisiens a stern test this Saturday.
PSG have lost one of their last 28 home games against Lille in all competitions (W19 D8), and Luis Enrique said there were similar🙈ities between Les Dogues and Liverpool.
"I think there are similar things betwe🅺en Lille and Liverpool, things, particularly defensively, that can come close. So it's a good match for us," Luis Enrique told reporters.
"Lille are a very good team. The team (PSG) is highly motivated to show that ൩we c꧑an play against anyone ...
"The game is a big test for the players who want to play against Liverpool. It's a great rival🔥 (Lille) with a style of play and♍ actions similar to those of Liverpool.
"If you're෴ well-prepared, there's no such thing🎐 as fatigue."
PSG find themselves 13 points clear at the𓄧 Ligue 1 summit, having not lost any of their first 23 league matches. Indeed, they are 💙the fourth team to remain unbeaten at this stage after themselves in 1985-86 and 2015-16 and Nantes in 1994-95.
But they face a hectic run of fixtures in March, playing five games across 16 days, including their first and second leg cl💃ashes with Liverpool in the Champ♓ions League.
The Parisiens also face lowly Rennes before a top-of-the-table encounter with Marseille, but Luis Enrique said he and his players were r💎elishing the task ahead.
"It's very important at times like these to control the minutes and the intensity of these matches and not just the minutes of the matches b🍸ut also what type of match has 🃏been played," Luis Enrique said.
"I think we're in good shape. We're spreadi🐼ng the minutes around r🐬eally well, so I think that's great.
"We have all the players available, so that means I can choose from all of them and they𒁃're all ready. And that's something I'm delighted about."
The Spaniard added that Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, who joined from Napoli during the January transfer window, has adapted well to life i🌃n the French capital.
Kvaratskhe😼lia has notched five goal involvements (two goals, three assists) across all competitions since making the move to PSG.
Indeed, since his debut in Ligue 1 on January 25, he has created more chances (12) than any of♏ his PSG t💜eam-mates, while only Ousmane Dembele (13) has completed more dribbles than Kvaratskhelia (12).
"📖;Just like we did with (Lucas) Beraldo last year, we're giving him the information," Luis Enrique said.
"That will come with training and matches. When you recruit a player at this le🐬vel, he's an intelligent player wh൩o knows how to adapt to the way the game is played.
&qu🍬ot;It seems to me that we give him a lot of room to adapt. We try to respect him and make the most of his qualities."
