Arizona Tribune - Holders PSG happy to take 'long route' via Champions League play-offs

"If any team is ready for the play-offs and for whoever we have to play, it is us -- when you look at the teams we have played, it is catastrophic," the Spaniard said after the reigning European champions finished the league phase with a 1-1 draw against Newcastle United.

The Premier League club were in the bottom pot of seeds and PSG ended up facing the Magpies instead of comparative minnows such as Pafos and Kairat Almaty.

Only one of their eight opponents in the league phase came from outside Europe's four biggest leagues, and that was Portuguese giants Sporting.

"We need to improve, I accept that," added Luis Enrique, as PSG finished the league phase in 11th place with 14 points -- 10 points fewer than first-placed Arsenal.

The French giants, who won the Champions League for the first time in their history last season, began this campaign with three straight victories but Wednesday's result left them with just one win in their last five continental outings.

Ousmane Dembele had an early penalty saved at the Parc des Princes before Vitinha put PSG in front in the seventh minute, only for Joe Willock to equalise for Newcastle in first-half injury time.

"It was hard because they are a very good and strong team physically and we knew before the game how difficult it would be, but I thought we deserved to win," said the former Barcelona boss, who saw Khvicha Kvaratskhelia go off early in the game with an ankle injury.

"We knew it was a possibility that we might have to go into the play-offs. We will have to take the long route, but I don't think anyone else can be considered favourites more than us."

PSG had to go through the play-off round last season on their way to glory, hammering French rivals Brest 10-0 on aggregate before seeing off Liverpool, Aston Villa and Arsenal en route to the final, where they demolished Inter Milan 5-0.

- Newcastle's 'acid test' -

PSG and Newcastle will discover the identity of their opponents in February's play-off round when the draw takes place on Friday.

However, one will play Monaco and the other will take on Qarabag of Azerbaijan, the sides who finished 21st and 22nd respectively in the 36-team standings.

Newcastle, who are ninth in the Premier League, now face the prospect of having to play eight games in February but their coach Eddie Howe said holding PSG would give the Magpies confidence going forward.

"This was the real acid test here against a team motivated to win and the holders of the competition," he insisted.

"We keep pushing on. I think we wanted to win tonight -- we didn't want the extra games but we will take it, we will go down that route.

"I think we will go down that route in the best possible way with a strong performance against the holders, so if there is ever a game we need to look to to give us confidence it is this one."

Howe, who was unhappy with the early penalty award against his team for a Lewis Miley handball, added: "We probably would have taken this at the start of the campaign.

"We set out to qualify (for the last 16) outright but you take every eventuality that falls your way -- we gave everything we could to try to finish in the top eight, we didn't quite get there so we have to take another route."

M.White--AT