PSG send Arsenal and Real Madrid clear new Champions League warning with bold claim | OneFootball

French giants await either the Gunners or Los Blancos in semi-final blockbuster after narrowly surviving inspired Aston Villa comeback

Paris Saint-Germain boss Luis Enrique is confident that his team will be able to reach the Champions League final regardless of who they face next, saying his squad is the best in the world.

The reigning French champions took a 3-1 lead into the game at Villa Park and scored twice in the opening half an hour to increase their commanding advantage to 5-1 on aggregate, but later conceded three times without reply to set up a nervy end to a pulsating clash.

Enrique’s side were beaten 3-2 on the night but prevailed 5-4 overall following several fine saves by Gianluigi Donnarumma and the Spaniard was in bullish mood afterwards as he lauded his side’s accomplishments and looked ahead to the semi-finals.

He told TNT Sports: “I think I have the best squad in the world.”

Insisting that his team’s recovery after a mid-match wobble exemplified their maturity, Enrique added: “That match for us is something that allows us to grow up and try to compete even better.

Asked who he would rather face in the semi-finals, though, Enrique was non-committal. PSG lost to Arsenal in the competition’s league phase, falling 2-0 at the Emirates Stadium back in October, but Real Madrid, for whom he spent five years playing in the 1990s before joining and later coaching arch-rivals Barcelona, is hardly a more appealing prospect.

PSG and Enrique will find out their semi-final opponents on Wednesday night as Arsenal defend a three-goal first-leg lead against Real Madrid at the Bernabeu. The semi-final first leg will be played in the last week of April.