New PSG coach expects “great duel” against Arsenal

New Paris St Germain coach Unai Emery told a news conference in Paris on Monday (September 12) that he expected Tuesday’s Champions League opening Group A match against Arsenal to be a “great duel”.

For the last 16 years in succession PSG’s opponents Arsenal have reached the second stage of the competition, only to suffer the frustration of defeat in the first knockout round for six seasons in a row.

Therefore, Emery is expecting a tough challenge against Arsene Wenger’s experienced side.

“I hope we’re going to have a great game and that things will go well for us against this great team, one that will use the qualities it has: playing with their attackers, keeping possession, which they enjoy doing but also defending well,” he said on Monday.

Under Emery, PSG have had a difficult start to the season and were involved in late drama in their weekend game as St Etienne scored in the final minute on Friday to force a 1-1 draw.

That left the champions three points behind Monaco, who had beaten them 3-1 in the previous league fixture.

Emery, who arrived from Sevilla to replace Laurent Blanc in the close-season, lost important players to the Premier League in Zlatan Ibrahimovic and defender David Luiz.

When asked if he expected such a difficult start to the season, Emery said soccer was a great game which needed a lot of hard work.

“It’s work, the progression of that work in order to improve and today, for me, I am confident that with work, when I know all the players and the whole team, the championship, the Champions League, that we will do better,” he said.

Arsenal and the PSG must be regarded as favourites to qualify again from a group also including Basel and Bulgarian side Ludogorets.

PSG midfielder Marco Verratti shared a few words on fellow Italian, Nice striker Mario Balotelli, after he scored two goals on his debut to hand Nice a 3-2 victory over Olympique Marseille on Sunday — his first league goals for a year.

“As I’ve said before, Mario is a good player, his problem has always been his mentality a bit but I know he’s a good guy and I hope with all my heart that he will change a little bit (…) I think that in a small space of time he can still become a great player and be one of the four or five best strikers,” said Verratti.