Luis Enrique insists “there’s no team better than us” as he prepares Paris Saint-Germain for a heavyweight Champions League clash with Bayern Munich.
The holders host the newly crowned Bundesliga champions in an eagerly anticipated semi-final first leg on Tuesday.
PSG head into the game at the Parc des Princes in strong form having won eight of their last nine matches and sitting six points clear at the top of Ligue 1.
They have also impressed in Europe, seeing off AS Monaco, Chelsea and Liverpool in the knockout phase.
They now face a Bayern side who boast their own formidable record but the PSG boss is confident his side have the edge.
“These are Europe’s top two teams,” the Spaniard told his pre-match news conference. “In terms of consistency, Bayern are perhaps slightly above us because they’ve only lost two games, but in terms of what we’ve shown, there’s no team better than us.
“You need to attack more than you defend if you want to win, and we know how hard that will be, but we’re not here to negotiate — we want to win.”
Bayern arrive in the French capital on a run of nine straight wins and 16 victories from their last 17 matches in all competitions.
They have won 11 of their 12 Champions League games this season, losing only at Arsenal in November, while a Bundesliga defeat by Augsburg in January is the only other blemish on their record.
England captain Harry Kane has led the charge with 53 goals in all competitions, including 12 in the Champions League. Bayern have also won their last five meetings with PSG, including a 2-1 victory in Paris earlier this season.
The occasion holds no fear for Bayern manager Vincent Kompany.
The former Manchester City captain said: “We’ve already won at the Bernabéu this year and won in Paris.
“Paris are obviously still the Champions League holders, but if any team can take on this challenge, it’s us. We know how good Paris are, but we want this game.”
The match will be the 15th meeting between the sides in the competition — and the ninth in as many seasons — continuing a rivalry that has become familiar on the European stage.
Kompany, who will watch the action from the stands as he serves a touchline ban, expects fine margins to settle the tie.
“We’ve got experience against them, but that’s the same for our opponent,” he said. “Both teams have so much creativity. It’s about details, intensity and energy.”
