PSG have a plan to eliminate Manchester City!

They dream bigger. Unhappy finalist of the last edition of the UEFA Champions League against Bayern Munich in 2020, Paris Saint-Germain wants, this time, to lift the cup to big ears. After having offered the scalp of FC Barcelona and then taken their revenge on the Bavarians, the club of the capital intends to continue its incredible journey and bring down another big fish: Manchester City. But the task is far from won since the Skyblues won 2 to 1 last week at Parc des Princes in the semi-final first leg. In unfavorable waivers, PSG know that they will have to win by two goals away at the Etihad Stadium tomorrow night. A difficult mission. But impossible is not French! At a press conference on Tuesday, Marco Verratti admitted to believing very strongly in it.

PSG must play without pressure

“I think we have a good atmosphere. We still have the possibility of winning all the trophies. All that means that we had a very good trip. We didn’t deserve to lose on the way out. We started to prepare for this match yesterday (Sunday). We’re happy it’s happening tomorrow. We can’t wait to show on the pitch that we can do it. We must be the first to believe in ourselves. We are a great team. You have to stay calm, do things as always. You have to enter the field, be on each ball, each duel, to win this type of match. (…) We are expecting a Champions League semi-final. Both teams want to go to the final. It’s a nice game. We are happy to play this type of match. We must stay calm, play our game. We must continue like this. We know it’s going to be tough against City. We also want to play the final. It will be necessary to manage the emotions. There will be times when we will suffer, others better. Every detail counts in this competition. Small things can play ”.

But being in the position of the one who has to score changes the situation a bit, as the Italian admits. “It’s true that mentally, it’s different. We know that if we want to get to the final, we have to win with two goals. We are a team that starts every game with the desire to win. Here, it’s hard ground, a tough team to play. We will give everything we can to get this final. We have nothing to lose. (…) The key to the game is to mainly play ball, create chances and also profit. Football is also a pleasure. It takes a set of things to win the Champions League. It is won on small details. It never goes how you want it for 90 minutes, sometimes all it takes is a stroke of genius, for example from Neymar or Kylian (Mbappé). You have to pay attention to everything. Playing is how we are going to create opportunities ”.

We will have to take risks for Pochettino

His trainer, Mauricio Pochettino, is more careful. “It’s difficult to know the keys to this game. Things are difficult to anticipate. Football is a game that may surprise you. Moments may appear during the encounter that you will be able to cope with because you have managed to create certain habits throughout the season. This is the method, the philosophy, and the team is prepared to manage these moments ”. But the Argentine still has some ideas to win. “It’s the intention to deprive them of the ball. We are a team that also likes possession but with a balance between possession and transition, due to the characteristics of our players. We will have to be clinical and aggressive. He gives us at least two goals to advance to the final ”.

We will therefore have to take risks. “The final is a unique game, and it depends on several factors. In the semi-final you have two matches, the emotional approach is different, it will be there, because it’s a result that affects your approach to the match. They will have an advantage and of course we will have to take risks, be aggressive ”. And if that doesn’t work, Marco Verratti has the solution. “You have to pray (laughs). We are not aliens. We’re playing against one of the best teams in the world, we know we’re going to suffer. There are times when we need to take advantage of the highlights to score goals. Against Bayern, we suffered until the last minute, against Barcelona too, that’s normal. We are ready to do anything to reach the final tomorrow “. After the speech, place to action tomorrow evening at the Etihad Stadium, the theater of dreams of an evening for PSG.