Paris Saint-Germain boss Luis Enrique has warned the impressive wins over Manchester City and Barcelona will count for little when his side look to continue their perfect start in the Champions League away to Villarreal.
The back-to-back European champions head to Spain top of the initial table after three straight victories, which saw both City and Barcelona confidently swept aside 4-2.
Luis Enrique, though, will not take the trip to at the Estadio de la Cerámica lightly.
In their last Champions League match, Villarreal had been 2-0 up at Liverpool before eventually slipping to a 4-3 defeat after the Reds fought back to level by halftime.
“If you think that [the results so far] is what is going to win us tomorrow’s match, you are completely mistaken,” the PSG boss said at a news conference.
“Winning will be impossible if you don’t have the ambition, the determination and the ability to run for the whole match.”
“We are up against a strong Villarreal side who have had a tough run of fixtures so far. They are a very good team, led by a very good coach.
“We will have to show from the very first minutes that we’re ready and that we have the ambition to win. Past results are no use whatsoever when it comes to this game.”
Luis Enrique added: “Last year, we started like this season and we didn’t finish in the top eight.
“This is the Champions League. Tomorrow, it is crucial to be ready for every scenario. We want to improve on last year’s league performance.”
PSG will again be without Ousmane Dembélé, Marquinhos and Nuno Mendes.
Winger Khvicha Kvaratskhelia is set for a lengthy spell of rehabilitation following knee surgery after he suffered an anterior cruciate ligament injury during the 4-2 win over Barcelona.
“We haven’t planned this match differently,” Luis Enrique said. “There are important points to consider — we want to perform well every time, regardless of the match or the players.
“Tomorrow, we will see, with a different stadium that embodies the essence of football and a great team.
“It will be difficult to overcome their pressure. It will be a test, and I like that. We have to be attentive to everything.”
Villarreal head coach Iñigo Pérez hopes a positive display against “a real juggernaut” of European football can provide a good benchmark for the squad.
“The game we have tomorrow is important enough, because of the hierarchy of the opponent,” said Pérez, whose side sit eighth in LaLiga.
“What better scenario, what better team in this competition in the last two years to be able to reaffirm this belief that we have been developing?”
