Slovan Faces a Highly Motivated Giant; Luis Enrique Comments on Yaya Touré

Slovan Bratislava faces a formidable challenge. The reigning Champions League winner, PSG, is looking to regain confidence after a shaky start to their Ligue 1 campaign, where they've managed just two points from three matches – two draws and a loss. Their latest setback was a narrow 2-1 defeat in Paris on Friday against AS Monaco.

Consequently, the dominant French champions and two-time Champions League winners are under pressure. PSG will aim to unleash that pressure on Wednesday evening against Slovan Bratislava, even though Spanish coaching maestro Luis Enrique has stated that no opponent or match in this prestigious competition is ever truly easy.

"What I think about this competition is that it's the biggest, as well as the toughest to play in, against opponents where the differences are very small. There will be six, maybe eight teams, where you'll say: 'Who could win the next Champions League?' The differences are there, but they are very small," the 56-year-old Spaniard responded when asked if his team could once again leave all their rivals behind, as they did in the previous two seasons.

"Our main goal is to start this competition well," he continued, shifting focus to the Slovan match. "Tomorrow we will play a game that might seem easy, but there are no easy games in the Champions League. They don't exist. We must stay focused and prepared to win this match."

"It's clear that away games are always tough, regardless of the opponent or the stadium," Enrique elaborated more specifically on the upcoming clash with "The Sky Blues." "When you play at home, there are things that can work in your favor, but we've learned from the start of this season that it's very easy to run into a difficult game," he warned.

"On Wednesday, we must be ready to press to the maximum, play at our highest intensity, and strive to win the game. I repeat, I'm not sure... whatever the opponent's level, perhaps we are favorites, but you have to show it on the pitch," declared the three-time winner of the prestigious "big-eared trophy."

At Tuesday's press conference, Luis Enrique was also asked about Slovan coach Yaya Touré, specifically about his new chapter in life and whether he can bring something from his illustrious career as a star midfielder into his team's play.

"First thing, I remember it because we were at Barcelona when he was a first-team player, and I was an assistant coach at the time, coaching the B-team or youth team," he recalled his time at Barcelona.

"I remember his level as a top player. He had experience as an assistant, as a second coach, and at Slovan Bratislava, this is his first experience as a head coach. And from what I've seen when we analyzed his team, he's a coach who likes to have the ball at his feet, who carries a bit of the legacy of what he did when he was at Barcelona, and also at Manchester City," Luis Enrique believes.

"We'll see on Wednesday evening whether he repeats the same strategy, the same desire to play football, or if he decides to be more defensive. It will be something we'll have to manage during the match," Luis Enrique added.

PSG captain Marquinhos also attended Tuesday's press conference at the PSG training center. However, he wasn't asked a single question about the Slovan Bratislava match. Instead, French journalists primarily focused on the problematic Parisian defense. At the start of the season, they've conceded 8 goals in five matches across all competitions, which is far too many for a club of PSG's stature.

The experienced 32-year-old Brazilian center-back emphasized that he and his teammates in the dressing room are aware of what needs to be improved. Marquinhos specifically mentioned intensity, commitment, and pressing.

"It's true that for a defender, it's particularly painful when we concede goals. We've been letting in a lot at the start of this season. We know why. We've talked about it, the coach showed us videos, and we're working to improve. It's a collective effort. We made a few small mistakes that weren't at our level from the end of last season," he admitted.

"We are working on improving. We are at the beginning of the season, and there will always be mistakes that can be corrected very quickly. We have to be honest with ourselves, look for what we can improve, and do things better. The coach is very demanding of us, he tells us the truth directly. We know what we need to work on and what we need to improve for tomorrow's match," he stated, looking ahead to the clash with Slovan Bratislava at the Parc des Princes.