Special envoy to Lisbon
State of mind : “Anything can happen, it's another competition that begins. It's the final phase, knockout matches, we are ready to give everything to deliver the best performance and pass. "
Pressure on City to finally win the C1 : “It's always the same question. We really try to do our best, like the other teams. We are here, we have prepared, we are ready, but there are opponents in front ... We saw the first two matches, Atalanta-PSG and Atlético-Leipzig. It's a knockout game, we will try not to make mistakes. But there is always the same pressure. ”
Sergio Agüero : "He remains in Barcelona and continues his care."
New era in C1 : “I hope we can follow the example of Paris and Leipzig (who have never won the C1, note). We prepared and we will fight until the last minute. I hope we can win this competition this year. But there are quite a few great teams. It's up to us to be ready for the fight. ”
The progress of Manchester City since arriving on the bench : “Beyond the results, the team has grown through victories and titles. We work on a daily basis to achieve good results. And there are other areas of the club that work for the long term in order to last over time. The results help, that's for sure. The clubs that are part of the elite will always be there, I am thinking of Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, Barcelona or the big teams in England, France. But we need this competition. Everything can happen. It's already complicated with home and away matches. But with a dry match, it's even harder. We will try to beat a team like Lyon, which has a lot of experience in the Champions League. ”
"We can't expect to play easy matches at this level of the tournament"
Lyon : “It's a great team, with good players. It's up to us to focus on us. You have to fight until the last minute to try to win. (…) OL have already played against PSG (in the Coupe de la Ligue final) and Juventus (in the knockout stages of C1), we have seen these matches. We know this team very well, very well organized, very fast. There are great attackers and very strong full-backs. It's a great team. OL are in the quarter-finals and we can expect to play against a good team. You can't expect to play easy matches at this level of the tournament ... "
Favorite or not after eliminating Real Madrid in the round of 16 : "It's important to have beaten the kings of Europe, but these are dry matches, and therefore anything can happen."
Knockout Matches : “It changes a lot. When we approach the first leg, we also think of the return in normal times. We have this kind of opposition in the national cups. The players are used to it. Either go back to Manchester or stay in Lisbon for four more days. The approach is very different. (...) It's like a final. "
With three matches of the title : "I would like to tell you what will happen tomorrow night, but I can not do it (smile). All I can tell you is that we have prepared very well, I am very proud of the behavior of the players over the past two or three weeks. Especially after the end of the season and in the last period. ”
"The moment to show who we are"
Context : "The pandemic, the tournament ... We have to adapt to the protocol on a daily basis. We were very well received in Portugal, we ate well, we drank good wines, we prepared ourselves well and we will try to eliminate OL. Tomorrow is our time to show who we are. I want my team to be true to themselves and give their all on the pitch. Afterwards, we'll see if we deserve the victory or not. (...) It looks a lot like what we experienced in the Premier League. There is not much difference, except that we are all together at the hotel. But with regard to controls, for example, it's the same. (...) The hotel is great. Food, too. The weather is nice. The players are there to prepare for the match, we have time to discuss, talk about the opponents. That's what we did. We can spend more time together, the staff and the players. It is very good. I would love to stay longer in Portugal. Important to be together? Yes, this is a very important time for us in our careers, our lives. This is exceptional. I obviously prefer to be at home, not at the hotel, but this is an exception. The players are quite comfortable. It's nice outside. And we really enjoyed being there. We hope to spend a few more days in this wonderful country. ”
The maturity of the group with a view to a possible coronation : “Maturity does not depend on results. Against Real, on the return, we were very aggressive, we scored, they equalized and we suffered, but in the second half we were much better. Against Lyon, there will inevitably be times when you have to suffer, manage a little, step back to defend a little lower. You really have to stay very strong psychologically. The match will not be over until after the final whistle. It's a matter of envy. The mind, the state of mind, is the priority in these matches. And I think the players will be ready for that, to give their all. ”
David Silva, who will leave the club this summer : "He is ready, we can see it in his training, his mentality ... It is a pity that he cannot play his last match under the colors of Manchester City in front of the public. But he will come back when the public is allowed to return to the stadiums, and he will get what he deserves. "
Interview at a press conference
Laporte: "It's always special to face a club from your native country"
Aymeric Laporte (Manchester City defender) : “The team has prepared well. We always tried to take the matches one after the other. We want to focus on this competition and we hope to be able to beat Lyon tomorrow night to go very far in this competition. We prepared very well. (…) We must avoid making mistakes. It's up to us to be focused. Lyon have good players. We're going to try to score more goals than them, that's all there is to say. (…) It's always special to face a club from your native country. I can't wait to play against OL. I remember the goal I scored against them last season. If I play tomorrow night, I hope I have the opportunity to score another and that we pass the round. "
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