Luis Enrique backing PSG to reach final even if defending champion has to take playoffs route again

PARIS — Securing automatic qualification for the last 16 of the Champions League is not a major concern for Paris Saint-Germain coach Luis Enrique.

He backs his team to reach the final again, whatever the route.

PSG hosts Newcastle on Wednesday with both sides level on 13 points in sixth and seventh place in the league phase table. Only the top eight go through directly, with the next 16 teams facing a two-legged playoff to reach the knockout stage.

“I would sign up for a defeat or a draw (against Newcastle) and be in the top 15 like last season,” Luis Enrique said Tuesday. “If you tell me we’ll be in the top 15 and then win the Champions League outright.”

A host of other teams are right behind PSG on goal difference, and another two sides are on 12 points, meaning a loss or a draw at Parc des Princes could drop the defending champion out of the top eight.

That wouldn't pose a problem for Luis Enrique, who is already looking ahead.

“We are an incredible team in the knockout phase and we’ll prove it again,” he said.

Last season, PSG finished 15th in the group stage yet won the competition for the first time. After progressing through the playoffs with a crushing 10-0 aggregate win over Brest, the French giant knocked out Liverpool, Aston Villa and Arsenal en route to the final, where it routed Inter Milan 5-0.

PSG is approaching full strength again after an injury-hit start to the season.

However, Luis Enrique said he was still open to more signings before the end of the January transfer window, after the arrival of 18-year-old midfielder Dro Fernández from Barcelona on Monday.

“We are open to the transfer market and ready if there's an opportunity," Luis Enrique said. “It’s not easy to find quality players to improve our squad. I think in the future Dro will become an important player for us."