Luis Enrique says Paris Saint-Germain have ‘no players’ ready for Aston Villa final

Paris Saint-Germain will face Aston Villa in the UEFA Super Cup on Wednesday with manager Luis Enrique warning that the delayed return of players involved in the World Cup has left his squad facing an unusual preparation challenge.

The French side meet Unai Emery’s Aston Villa in Salzburg, Austria, in their first competitive match of the new season. Paris Saint-Germain are aiming to begin another campaign with a trophy as they look to continue their recent run of success across all competitions.

Luis Enrique acknowledged the significance of the fixture despite the disruption to his preparations.

“This is the first official match of the season, so it is very important for us,” he said. “I hope we can repeat what we did last year and be able to compete and fight to win the Super Cup.”

The Spanish coach said the start of this season had closely mirrored the previous campaign, with the international calendar making it difficult for his coaching staff to work with the full squad.

Speaking about the opening weeks of the season, as reported by Spanish newspaper AS, Enrique said: “I have had almost the entire rest period during the summer. We now feel refreshed and happy to be back, and we are working on gradually recovering the players. To start the season with a final means that we did a good job last season, and our aim is to produce the best level possible.”

Paris Saint-Germain have set ambitious targets once again, but Enrique stressed that expectations alone would not deliver more silverware.

“Of course, we set ambitious targets from the beginning and we will continue to work in this way,” he said. “Everyone believes that we are capable of winning again, but this is only theoretical talk, and we have to prove it on the pitch.”

He added: “We want to win again, but it is not easy.”

The biggest difficulty before the match has been the differing return dates of the players. Enrique said that made it hard to establish how much football each member of the squad could safely play.

“Last year was exceptional, and this year is the same,” he said. “From a preparation point of view, it is difficult to manage the number of minutes each player can play.”

He added: “We will try to play at the best level possible. We want to be in the best possible condition at the end of the season, not necessarily at the beginning.”

Paris Saint-Germain had several absences during their pre-season matches, leaving Enrique uncertain about which players would be ready to take part against Aston Villa.

“We suffered from many absences during the pre-season matches, so it is difficult to predict who will be able to play,” he said.

Enrique then delivered the most striking assessment of his squad’s condition: “I have no players. Some players returned on Monday, and others returned last week. We are trying to prepare in the best way possible, but I do not know what physical condition our players will be in.”

He said the circumstances surrounding the current season had made preparation unlike a normal campaign, particularly because several members of the squad had joined up late.

“It is important for every team to win a European trophy, and we will see what kind of match both teams can produce tomorrow,” Enrique said.

The manager also praised the standing of Spanish coaches and players, saying Spanish football had remained at the highest level for many years.

“For many years, Spanish football has been at the highest levels, both in terms of coaches and players, and this makes us feel proud,” he said. “The Spanish player, as well as the Spanish coach, is highly valued.”

Enrique referred to Spain winning their second World Cup and said he hoped that success would mark the beginning of another period of achievement for the national team and Spanish football.

He ended by highlighting the footballing legacy established by Luis Aragones and the development of the game under Pep Guardiola at Barcelona. Enrique said those influences had helped establish a style based on possession and collective play, while opening the way for the current generation.