Luis Enrique warns Paris Saint-Germain to leave comfort zone before Champions League opener

Luis Enrique has told his Paris Saint-Germain players to “leave our comfort zone” as the two-time defending European champions prepare to begin their UEFA Champions League campaign against Slovan Bratislava on Wednesday.

Paris Saint-Germain, who won the competition in 2025 and 2026, have endured a difficult start to their Ligue 1 season. They have collected two draws and suffered one defeat, a record the Spanish manager described as “disastrous” when judged solely by results.

However, Luis Enrique said the team’s performances had not fully reflected their points tally and insisted there were positive aspects to consider ahead of their European opener.

“Past is past, and we have to renew our driving licence every year,” he said at his pre-match news conference. “Everyone is motivated to play against us, and we have to accept that and leave our comfort zone. I am ready to prove that we must reinvent ourselves every day.”

The Paris Saint-Germain manager acknowledged that improvements were required, but argued that his side deserved more reward from their opening Ligue 1 matches.

“There are things to improve, but we deserve more points in Ligue 1,” he added.

Paris Saint-Germain will face a Slovan Bratislava side managed by former Manchester City and Ivory Coast midfielder Yaya Toure. Luis Enrique accepted that the fixture may appear straightforward on paper, but warned his players against complacency or overconfidence.

The match will represent the start of Paris Saint-Germain’s latest attempt to defend their European crown. Despite their recent success, Luis Enrique stressed that the Champions League remains an exceptionally demanding competition in which small margins can decide the outcome.

“It is the most difficult competition,” he said. “How many teams could win it? Six, eight, or five teams. The differences are extremely small.”

Luis Enrique wants his side to make a strong start, but said the apparent difference in stature between the clubs would not make the game simple.

“We want to make a very good start,” he said. “We are going to play a match that looks easy on the surface, but there are no easy matches. We must maintain our focus.”

The comments come as Paris Saint-Germain seek to respond to their underwhelming domestic results and begin their European title defence with greater authority. Luis Enrique’s message was that past achievements would offer no protection against a motivated opponent, and that his squad must continue to adapt despite winning the competition in each of the previous two seasons.

Wednesday’s meeting with Slovan Bratislava will therefore provide an early test of whether Paris Saint-Germain can translate their European status into a convincing opening performance, while avoiding the loss of concentration the manager believes could make an apparently comfortable fixture difficult.

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