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Paris St Germain head coach Luis Enrique is happy to face Spain’s Real Sociedad in the Champions League round of 16 but is hoping for an exit as the season enters a tricky half.
PSG qualified for the round of 16 by finishing second in Group F, while an unbeaten Sociedad crowned Group D.
“I’m satisfied with the draw because I wanted to go back to Spain,” the former Barcelona and Spain coach said on Tuesday.
“We know Real Sociedad very well. They have a lot of players who have played for Spain, with me in the national team.
“We know it will be difficult. They won a group that included Inter Milan who were finalists in the championship last season. And they still managed to finish top.”
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Luis Enrique, who joined PSG in July, said he was still in the process of improving the squad to get the best out of them.
“I’m very satisfied with the first part of the season in terms of results,” he said.
“We had a very difficult Champions League group. And in the end we also had effects on the league.
“The hardest part is still to be done in the second part of the season. “
PSG has a five-point lead at the top of the Ligue 1 standings and faces 14th-placed Metz on Wednesday. However, Luis Enrique warned his side not to be complacent against their opponents, who are coming off three straight losses.
“It’s going to be a tough game. . . They will leave us very little space to attack,” he said.
“We’re going to have to be very exact and precise to exploit those spaces. “
The day will coincide with the birthday of Kylian Mbappé, who has scored 164 league goals for PSG, 16 this season in 15 appearances.
“Kylian Mbappe is still very young at 25. He is the age of my son which is quite something,” Luis Enrique said.
“I hope Kylian Mbappe gets even better luck together and individually. We hope it will be here at PSG and we hope it develops.
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