Paris Saint-Germain Coach Luis Enrique Defends Team Amid Criticism Before Auxerre Clash

Paris Saint-Germain visit Auxerre in Ligue 1 seeking a response to the 2-1 loss at Sporting CP, with Luis Enrique dismissing criticism of recent results and insisting outside opinion ignores key internal factors as the champions balance a demanding Champions League schedule with a tight domestic title race.

PSG stand second in Ligue 1 with 42 points from 18 matches, while Lens sit top after eight straight league victories and 10 wins in all competitions, yet Opta’s supercomputer still makes PSG clear favourites for the title, assigning an 85.7% chance compared with Lens’ 13% likelihood.

The midweek defeat to Sporting CP denied PSG the chance to almost secure automatic progression to the Champions League last 16, though Luis Enrique described that

2-1 reverse as PSG’s best away performance this season, arguing that the team remain in a strong overall position despite a tougher fixture list than their European rivals.

"I try to respect your opinions, but I can't share them. I cannot share your opinion. You don't have 50% of the information I have," the Spaniard said. "When I talk about the games and I see the opinions of the journalists about a game on television, it's incredible. It's unbelievable! What courage you have. Because you don't have the information, but you still speak. If it's okay, it works and if not, okay, no problem. That's what professional football is all about. "

Those comments came during Thursday’s pre-match press conference, where Luis Enrique stressed that public assessments ignore injury issues and tactical choices, underlining that professional analysis inside the club relies on data and context not visible to journalists, even as scrutiny increases because PSG trail Lens in the table.

PSG managed a significant injury backlog before the turn of the year, with several regulars absent across competitions, yet most leading players are now available again, and the staff hope to welcome back Joao Neves for Friday’s trip after a muscle problem kept Joao Neves out of the previous two fixtures.

Among the individual storylines, focus falls on both squads, with Auxerre depending on defensive resilience and PSG leaning on young midfield quality; one of the most notable narratives involves Warren Zaire-Emery’s appearance landmark, while Clement Akpa’s numbers underline his importance for Auxerre’s survival efforts.

Team	Player	Key detail
Auxerre	Clement Akpa	Left-back, Ligue 1 duel success 70% (76/108)
Paris Saint-Germain	Warren Zaire-Emery	Could reach 100 Ligue 1 appearances at 19 years 321 days

Auxerre occupy 17th place in Ligue 1, sitting outside the bottom three only on goal difference, so a disciplined display at the Stade de l'Abbe Deschamps is vital, especially from Akpa, whose 70% success rate in duels is the best among players contesting at least 30 challenges in the division.

Zaire-Emery is poised for a significant career milestone; if the midfielder features, this will be a 100th Ligue 1 appearance at 19 years and 321 days, making Zaire-Emery the third-youngest to reach that mark since Opta records began in 1947-48, behind Basile Boli at 19 years and 38 days and Richard Krawczyk at 19 years and 250 days.

Paris Saint-Germain form patterns, history and match prediction

Historical trends around Champions League weeks offer mixed signals for PSG, because both Ligue 1 defeats this season followed European fixtures, against Marseille in September and Monaco in November, yet the other four league games played directly after Champions League nights brought three victories and one draw.

Scheduling could again influence rotation decisions, with PSG hosting Newcastle United in the Champions League next Wednesday, and Luis Enrique’s team have previously handled this situation well domestically, winning six and drawing one of seven Ligue 1 games that directly preceded European fixtures earlier in the current campaign.

Auxerre know this is a daunting assignment despite some positive home history, as PSG are the opponent they have faced most often in Ligue 1, 69 meetings in total, and also the team responsible for more Auxerre league defeats than any other club, with 30 losses across those matches.

At the Stade de l'Abbe Deschamps during the 21st century, Auxerre have actually lost only 23% of Ligue 1 encounters against PSG, three from 13 games, recording three wins and seven draws, but Auxerre have already suffered eight league defeats without scoring this season, including the last two, at least two more such results than any other side.

Opta’s model for this match points towards a strong probability of an away victory, though not a certainty, with win chances for each outcome summarised below for clarity.

Result	Win probability
Auxerre win	13.4%
Paris Saint-Germain win	68.5%
Draw	18.1%

Reflecting on the wider campaign, Luis Enrique contrasted this season with the 2024-25 treble triumph, saying: "Last year we didn't know we could win. Today, the players know that we can and the rest of the other teams know that we can win again that's the best thing. We have scored four more goals than last year. We have four points less in Ligue 1 and we are not first because Lens have won their last 10 games in a row and deserve to be first. If we analyse this particular season, we are in a very good moment with our points in Ligue 1 and with the worst fixtures of all the teams in the Champions League, we are still in a privileged position. "

PSG therefore travel to Auxerre under pressure in the title race yet backed by strong metrics, with the champions balancing heavy European demands, a largely recovered squad and high expectations, while Auxerre chase crucial points in a relegation battle, leaning heavily on defensive solidity to disrupt a favoured opponent.