Paris Saint‑Germain forward Ousmane Dembele has called on his teammates to maintain an attacking mindset when they face Chelsea FC in the second leg of their UEFA Champions League round-of-16 tie on Tuesday.
The French champions head into the decisive encounter with a commanding advantage after defeating Chelsea 5–2 in the first leg in Paris last week. The heavy defeat left the English side facing a difficult task in the return fixture at Stamford Bridge.
Despite the comfortable lead, Dembele insisted that PSG must avoid becoming defensive and instead approach the match with the same ambition to win.
“As I said after the first leg, our mentality is to win. We cannot just remain defensive. We need to win,” the France international said on Monday.
“We need to remain extremely focused. Chelsea is a high-quality team, they’ve won many matches in Europe. Our mentality will not change – we came here to win.”
Dembele noted that the team had learned valuable lessons from last season’s tense quarter-final against Aston Villa FC, when PSG nearly squandered a significant aggregate lead.
During that tie, the Paris side were leading 5–1 on aggregate at Villa Park before Villa mounted a late comeback with three goals, forcing PSG to endure a nervy finish.
“We may suffer a little bit,” Dembele said. “It’s like last season, we won the Champions League but we also had difficult moments. We need to remain focused.
“We’re three goals ahead but our mentality has not changed. We’re not going to be a defensive team and wait. We’re going to play our game.”
PSG manager Luis Enrique echoed the forward’s sentiments, warning that the previous scare against Aston Villa should serve as a reminder that no match is over until the final whistle.
“It’s a clear example of what a football match could become,” Enrique said. “We prepared the Villa match just like the Chelsea match, with the intention to win and score goals.
“It’s important to know how to control the match, control the pace. It’s our goal to win the match but we know we will have complicated moments.”
The Spanish coach also downplayed recent discussion surrounding Chelsea’s pre-match huddle that drew attention during their defeat to Newcastle United FC last Saturday.
Referee Paul Tierney was reportedly surrounded by players during the moment when the team gathered in a circle at the centre of the pitch before kickoff. While some observers considered the act disrespectful, Enrique said he did not view it as an issue.
“I was surprised when I saw it. But I heard Liam talk about it with maturity,” he said, referring to Chelsea coach Liam Rosenior.
“We can see different things but if there is respect and I think there is respect from Chelsea players and staff , no problem at all.”
With PSG holding a three-goal aggregate advantage, the French side will aim to secure qualification for the quarter-finals when the two teams meet again in London.
