PSG preparing for 'emotional' reunion with Messi at Club World Cup
Lionel Messi will come up against old club Paris Saint-Germain and his former coach Luis Enrique with Inter Miami at the Club World Cup on Sunday (PATRICIA DE MELO MOREIRA)
Paris Saint-Germain coach Luis Enrique said facing former player Lionel Messi will be an "emotional" reunion for both himself and the French club ahead of Sunday's Club World Cup clash against Inter Miami.
Argentine great Messi joined PSG in 2021 from Barcelona, where Luis Enrique had coached him and several other current Inter Miami players.
Advertisement
The forward departed in 2023, the same summer the Spaniard arrived at PSG, having won two Ligue 1 titles but failed to bring the French club the Champions League triumph they craved.
Luis Enrique eventually led PSG to European success this season as they won the trophy for the first time by thrashing Inter Milan on May 31.
"I think the game in an emotional sense is special for me, without a doubt, for the club too and the players who have been here with Messi," Luis Enrique told a news conference Saturday.
The coach said he was also excited about facing Luis Suarez, Sergio Busquets, Jordi Alba and Inter Miami boss Javier Mascherano, all of whom he coached at Barcelona as they won the treble in 2015.
Advertisement
"It's beautiful to see these players, who are more than just players for me, it will be special before and after the game," he continued ahead of the match in Atlanta.
Luis Enrique said Messi's presence would be a motivating factor for his PSG side, who are one of the leading favourites to win the competition.
"If we can't get the ball off them it won't look good for us, because Busquets is still the same, Lionel Messi with the ball is unique," he said.
"Luis Suarez, you saw the last goal he scored... and on top of that they have a coach like Mascherano...
Advertisement
"For us it's very motivating. We won the Champions League recently, but for us we have a lot of hunger still to show we have room to improve, that we want to compete.
"There's no better stage to compete than in this marvellous stadium, facing a team in which there is a man who is called Leo Messi, who is a revered figure not just for Barca fans, but people who enjoy him as a player."
- No 'slip-ups' -
Luis Enrique said star PSG forward Ousmane Dembele had trained this week but he would "take no risks" with the French winger for the last-16 clash at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
Advertisement
After Botafogo stunned PSG in the group stage and Inter Miami surprised with a 2-1 win over Porto, Luis Enrique called on his players to maintain their concentration.
"When you play in these type of competitions, and I know it perfectly well from coaching the Spanish national team, you cannot slip up whatsoever," said Luis Enrique.
"You cannot pause, you cannot be excessively confident, you can't do anything wrong because 90 minutes go by very quickly, and I think it's important that from the start we try and make our mark, impose our game and that's our objective."
The coach said the way to try and shackle Messi was collectively, rather than individually.
"Messi can dribble (past) any player," added Luis Enrique.
"If we want to stop Leo Messi, we don't want only one player, because we are dead -- we need the collective."
rbs/as
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Fox News
25 minutes ago
- Fox News
Jake Paul tells booing crowd 'shut the f--k up' after beating Julio César Chávez
Jake Paul told a booing crowd to "shut the f--k up" after defeating former middleweight champion Julio César Chávez Jr. by unanimous decision on Saturday night in Anaheim, California. "All the boos are words, and actions speak louder than words, so y'all can shut the f--- up!" Paul said in the postmatch interview while making taunting gestures to the crowd. "I'm hip, I'm really hip, I just beat your boy's a--, easy work, year five, wait till I get going even more motherf---ers!" Paul (12-1, 7 KOs) appeared to be taking the biggest risk of his unique boxing career by facing his most accomplished opponent in 39-year-old Chávez (54-7-2), and in front of an ardently pro-Chávez crowd in Southern California. At least it seemed like a risk until Chávez stepped into the ring at Honda Center and looked lifeless, barely throwing a punch until late in the fourth round of their cruiserweight bout. Even with his famous father shouting furiously at ringside, Chávez fought tentatively and tepidly against Paul, who patiently controlled the ring and landed just enough to win rounds. Chávez first mounted a discernible attack in the sixth, and he delivered several exciting shots in the ninth, finally exhibiting the skills of a long boxing career. But he couldn't seriously damage the YouTuber-turned-pugilist, who jumped on the ropes in celebration after absorbing several flurries in the 10th and final round. The judges scored it 99-91, 98-92 and 97-93 for Paul. The Associated Press also favored Paul 97-93. "I thought I lost the first five rounds, so I tried to win the last rounds," Chávez said. "He's strong, a good boxer (for) the first three, four rounds. After that, I felt he was tired. I don't think he's ready for the champions, but he's a good fighter." Chávez, who has fought just once since 2021, is best known for failing to maximize the potential in his father's genetics. He is still the most credible boxer by far to share the ring with Paul, who is now 5 1/2 years and 13 fights into his lucrative fighting career. Follow Fox News Digital's sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.
Yahoo
26 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Maresca questions US hosting Club World Cup
When asked how the one-hour-53-minute stoppage impacted Chelsea's match against Benfica in the Club World Cup, Enzo Maresca's response was: "This is not football." The manager seemed to question whether the US was a suitable host for Fifa competitions, like the Club World Cup, one year before the 2026 World Cup is hosted across North America. Advertisement Chelsea may have defeated Benfica 4-1 to qualify for the quarter-finals, but the match was the sixth to be suspended because of seasonal summer thunderstorms. A near two-hour delay looked like it might cost Chelsea, who had not conceded a shot on target and went ahead through Reece James's inventive free-kick, a match they looked set to win. "For 85 minutes we were in control of the game. We didn't concede anything; we created chances enough to win the game. And then after the break the game changed completely," Maresca said while referring to a shift in momentum in which Angel di Maria equalised from the penalty spot. "For me personally, it's not football. You cannot be inside for two hours. It is something completely new. I can understand that for security reasons, you are to suspend the game. But if you suspend six, seven games that means that probably is not the right place to do this competition." Advertisement Players, staff and supporters were immediately pulled indoors because of extreme weather, in this case because thunderstorms were detected within an eight-mile radius of the venue, in line with US safety regulations. Chelsea regained control in extra time when Benfica youngster Gianluca Prestianni was sent off, allowing Christopher Nkunku, Pedro Neto and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall to ensure victory in a match that lasted four hours 38 minute from the opening to final whistle. When asked to clarify where specifically his anger was aimed, Maresca added: "This is a fantastic competition. The Club World Cup is top; we are happy to be in the last eight. "It's not normal to suspend a game. In a World Cup, how many games are suspended? Probably zero. In Europe, how many games? Zero." How Chelsea coped with the stoppage Chelsea players Marc Cucurella, Levi Colwill and Tosin Adarabioyo were furious when pulled off the pitch - as was Maresca - having been on course to win with only five minutes of normal time remaining. Advertisement After re-entering the operations and dressing room area, players took turns to cycle on exercise bikes to keep their muscles warm and did kick-ups to stay fresh at the Bank of America Stadium. Maresca explained the mood and why it impacted performance, adding: "So two hours inside - people speak with the family outside [to check] if they were good with the security. People eating, laughing, talking on their mobiles. It was two hours. That's why I said it's not football." James added: "It was quite disruptive when you're in the flow of the game. Lots of substitutions - trying to get warm and stay warm. It was difficult and the climate was very hot and humid." A senior Chelsea official admitted to confusion and relief around the senior staff after the match. Is US in the summer suitable? This was the second longest stoppage of the tournament, with Benfica having had another two-hour stoppage delaying the start of their match against Auckland City. Advertisement There have been six similar stoppages in five different cities, including Mamelodi Sundowns against Ulsan HD, which also happened in Orlando, because of heavy rain and storms. And there were long pauses in the second half of Palmeiras v Al-Ahly in New Jersey (40 minutes), Salzburg v Pachuca in Cincinnati (90 minutes) and Boca Juniors v Auckland City in Nashville (50 minutes). Chelsea are also one of many teams to fall victim to extreme heat. Maresca said it was "impossible" to conduct a normal training session at their previous base in Philadelphia. Some of the best stadiums in the US and Canada have roofs, like Atlanta's Mercedes-Benz Stadium, but many do not. Advertisement Atlanta is the only ground selected with such a covered roof in the Club World Cup but further stadiums in Vancouver, Dallas, Houston, Los Angeles and Toronto are covered for next summer's World Cup. However, that tournament has been expanded to 48 teams, meaning these events will likely happen next summer. Possible solutions could include moving the World Cup to winter months, as Qatar did in 2022, but severe cold is also an issue in parts of the US and Canada. Head of Fifa's technical study group Arsene Wenger addressed stoppages from its base in Miami. He said: "It's not ideal, I agree, because you want the flow of the game from the first to the last minute but, as well, when you organise a competition you have [to put] security first." Advertisement Fifa also issued a statement at the time of the incident which read: "Due to adverse weather conditions in Charlotte, including the risk of lightning in the vicinity of Bank of America Stadium, the Fifa Club World Cup match between SL Benfica and Chelsea FC has been suspended. Fifa will follow the established safety protocols, and the match will resume as soon as it's safe to do so." Fifa was asked for a response to Maresca's comments.
Yahoo
26 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Kompany expecting "top European level" standard from Flamengo
Ahead of their Club World Cup last-16 clash with Flamengo, Bayern Munich's Vincent Kompany attended his press conference. The Bavarians' head coach discussed the importance of the tournament and have his thoughts on their Brazilian opponents. Advertisement "It's difficult to categorize because, as Bayern Munich, you can't say one competition is more important than another; they're all important. "When you analyze them [Flamengo], it's very clear what they're doing: They have clear ideas, and their players believe in those ideas. 'It's a mix of top-level discipline in the defensive movement, and good attacking ideas. Flamengo brings all of that to the pitch. 'Of course, they're a Brazilian team, but we're expecting a game at a top European level,' he said. Kompany also provided a brief personnel update, touching on the fitness of Jamal Musiala's in particular. Advertisement "What's important for Jamal is that he's training and is available again – that's better than not being there at all. "But his role [tomorrow]? We'll wait and see and decide tomorrow whether he can start. 'When you're coming back from injury and haven't had any friendlies, you have to integrate into the team in a competition,' he added.
