Paris Saint-Germain head coach Luis Enrique is looking forward to going up against Unai Emery in Wednesday night’s UEFA Champions League quarter-final first leg.
The Spaniard spoke highly of his countryman at his pre-match press conference, labelling the Aston Villa manager an “expert” at getting the most out of his team.
Enrique believes his side will have to be at their best when they host the Villans at the Parc des Princes.
“Aston Villa's team is similar to ours: a lot of versatile players, so it's difficult to know who's going to play,” he said.
“A team that can play with a low block, a high block, and drop back. In all these respects, we're very similar, so it promises to be an open and complicated game for both teams.
“They're capable of playing out from the back, managing space, that's their strength: attacking from the back to the front. We're going to have to be very good defensively and very efficient.
“I know Marco Asensio very well, he's a top-class player with great technical ability who has won a lot of trophies. Unai Emery is an expert at getting the best out of players.
“It's a joy to know that you're going up against a great European coach with many titles to his name. Aston Villa have got to this level thanks to him.”
Enrique has faced Emery a number of times in La Liga and also twice before in the Champions League, when Villa’s manager was in the dugout at PSG.
After knocking out Liverpool in the last round, the French side have been installed as favourites to reach the semi-finals, but Enrique doesn’t see it that way.
He said: “As far as I'm concerned, there's no such thing as favourites in football.
“Against Liverpool, everyone said we had less of a chance. There are eight teams who deserve to be at this stage of the competition, eight teams who can qualify for the next stage.
“A lot of the ‘favourites’ have already been eliminated. We'll have to do what's necessary and deserve to win on the pitch.”
PSG reached the semi-finals last term in Enrique’s first season in charge, losing to Borussia Dortmund 2-0 on aggregate.
He’s hopeful their recent experiences in the Champions League will be beneficial over two legs against Villa.
“I stress to my players that it's important to control their emotions,” he said.
“There's a lot going on around the players, but their hearts and legs will be there. We're playing in front of our supporters, at home. We need to take advantage of the positive energy and make it work for us.
“The things that make me feel proud are the energy we bring to every game. Mental capacity doesn't depend on results, you learn even if you lose.
“Last season, we had to come back from a goal down in the quarter-finals. I think that in two years, we've shown the ability to come back and we're going to continue to show that.”