Paris Saint-Germain face Chelsea FC in the Champions League last-16 second leg tonight at Stamford Bridge holding a 5-2 advantage.
PSG arrive at Stamford Bridge with one foot in the quarter-finals after a dominant 5-2 victory in Paris, where Chelsea collapsed late on to leave themselves with a mountain to climb.
But Dembele made it clear that Paris Saint-Germain would not sit back to protect their lead.
“As I said after the first leg, our mentality is to win. We cannot just remain defensive. We need to win,” he said. “We need to remain extremely focused. Chelsea is a high-quality team. Our mentality will not change – we came here to win.”
The France international pointed to last season’s Champions League scare against Aston Villa as a warning. PSG had built a commanding aggregate lead in that tie, only to concede three quick goals and face a tense finish.
“We may suffer a little bit,” Dembele admitted. “We’re three goals ahead but our mentality has not changed. We’re not going to wait – we’re going to play our game.”
Head coach Luis Enrique echoed that message, stressing the importance of control and focus across both legs.
“It’s a clear example of what a football match can become,” he said, referring to the Villa comeback. “We prepared this match with the intention to win and score goals. It’s important to control the pace, but we know there will be complicated moments.”
Luis Enrique also dismissed any distraction from recent off-field debate involving Chelsea, insisting his side remained fully focused on the task.
With a three-goal cushion but lessons learned from past scares, PSG travel to London determined to finish the job – not protect it.
