Paris Saint-Germain head coach Luis Enrique admitted he wanted to enter the club's history books by guiding the side to its first trophy in the Champions League.
PSG play Inter Milan on Saturday night at the Allianz Arena in Munich seeking a fourth title of the season.
In January, PSG claimed the French Super Cup and the Ligue 1 championship followed in April. Last Saturday, Bradley Barcola bagged a brace as PSG overpowered Reims to lift the Coupe de France for a record 16th time in its 108-year history.
But the Champions League crown has eluded them despite the billion euros pumped into the teams since PSG was taken over by the Qatari Sports Investments group in 2011.
"My biggest motivation is to make history in Paris and add to the history of France," said Enrique. "Being the first to do something, that's something that drives me."
Since succeeding Christophe Galtier in July 2023, the 55-year-old Spaniard has guided his team to two Ligue 1 titles, two Coupe de France crowns and two French Super Cups.
He has also been credited with imposing a collective ethos on a side in contrast to the megastar driven outfits that dominated domestically but failed to lift European club football's most prestigious trophy.
Following the departures from PSG of Lionel Messi, Neymar and Kylian Mbappé, Enrique has been hailed for transforming France international Ousmane Dembélé from a sulky wayward winger into a predatory attacking force.
During his six years in Barcelona – admittedly as a sidekick to Messi – he played 185 times and scored 40 goals.
In his 90 games over two seasons in Paris, he has netted 39 times.
“Dembélé has been one of the best players of the season, if not the best one," said Enrique who steered Barcelona to the 2015 Champions League trophy.
"He scores, he passes, he fights, he defends, and that’s the real mentality — that’s a leader. A real leader is the guy who shows with his example the way to go."
Struggle
While Inter were one of the eight teams to qualify automatically for the last-16 following an eight-game league stage of the Champions League, PSG had to take part in a play-off for one of the other eight places.
They walloped Ligue 1 counterparts Brest to reach the knockout stages where they disposed of three teams from the Premier League in England: Liverpool in the last-16, Aston Villa in the quarter-finals and Arsenal in the semis.
"We've had a series of tough games in the knockout stages," added Enrique. "They were finals in themselves and we've shown no fear. We'll go out onto the pitch on Saturday night without any fear."
PSG, who lost in the 2020 Champions League final to Bayern Munich, will face an Inter side hunting for a second Champions League title to add to their two successes in the early 1960s when the continent's most prestigious club competition was called the European Cup.
Inter will also be seeking redemption. Napoli pipped them to the Serie A title by a point last Friday and in April, Inter lost in the semi-finals of the Coppa Italia to their city rivals AC Milan.
Respect
“Our opponent, we hold the utmost respect for,” said Inter skipper Lautaro Martinez. “But with the weapons we’ve got, we want to hit them where it hurts.”
The 27-year-old Argentine won the World Cup in 2022 at the expense of France and was part of the Inter team that lost the 2023 Champions League final to Manchester City.
“I’ve won big trophies but I’m missing the Champions League," he added. "I’m happy to be in another final. We want to have the perfect game and bring the trophy back to Milan."
In Paris, police chiefs have announced that nearly 6,000 officers will be deployed around PSG's Parc des Princes ground in western Paris where 48,000 fans are expected to follow the match on giant screens as well as along the Champs Elysées – the traditional gathering spot to celebrate sporting successes.
Fan zones around the capital showing the match will also be monitored.
"Police will react firmly to any provocation or bad behaviour," Paris's prefect of police Laurent Nunez told BFM TV.
"If things get out of hand, then of course even if PSG win there might not be a victory parade. It's a possibility," he added.
