Paris Saint-Germain are already looking ahead to the Champions League final against Arsenal, with manager Luis Enrique admitting he'd rather study the Premier League giants than attend award ceremonies. Following a narrow 1-0 victory over Stade Brestois on Sunday, the Spanish boss confidently declared his side have effectively secured their fifth straight Ligue 1 title, putting the focus squarely on their upcoming European showdown.
"There is a 99.9% chance that we are already champions," Enrique stated after the match. And he's not wrong. With just two games left in the domestic campaign, PSG hold a comfortable six-point lead over RC Lens, their nearest challengers. Their goal difference advantage of +15 makes the math nearly impossible for Lens to overcome. The highly anticipated clash against Lens at Stade Bollaert, originally seen as a potential title decider, now carries little weight after being postponed to accommodate PSG's Champions League preparations against Liverpool.
The postponement couldn't have worked out better for the Parisians. Not only is Wednesday's match against Lens effectively a dead rubber, but PSG have already punched their ticket to the Champions League final, where Arsenal await. With the league all but wrapped up, all attention has shifted to that blockbuster match-up.
Enrique's single-minded focus was on full display Monday night at the UNFP Awards ceremony in Paris. Despite being nominated for Ligue 1 Manager of the Season, the former Barcelona boss was notably absent. When asked about it Tuesday, he didn't mince words: "I don't go to this kind of party. I prefer to stay at home to study Arsenal." He did, however, graciously congratulate Lens manager Pierre Sage, who took home the award.
Turning his attention to the upcoming Lens fixture, Enrique acknowledged both teams are in similar situations with cup finals on the horizon. "Both teams arrive in similar circumstances: with a final to play, in the Coupe de France for Lens, one week after the end of the league season, and for us in the UCL, two weeks after. The distribution of minutes will be different... I think that Pierre Sage will do the same thing as me: look to make the most of the match, between the best two teams in French football."
There were also hints in training that PSG are already preparing for Arsenal's notorious set-piece tactics. Footage from RMC Sport showed the Parisian goalkeepers drilling specifically for dead-ball situations, suggesting the club is leaving nothing to chance ahead of what promises to be an epic final clash.