Shock semi-final this Wednesday at the Parc des Princes between PSG and Manchester City.
It is the semi-final first leg of the Champions League and on the eve of the meeting, Mauricio Pochettino, the coach of Paris, confides this Tuesday at a press conference.
The first leg being first at the Park, unlike in the round of 16 and then in the quarter, what does that change?
MAURICIO POCHETTINO
.
For me, that doesn't change anything.
You have to play two games and try to qualify that way.
Our experience in the Champions League will help us better approach the first leg.
Is it a match between Guardiola and you?
It's always a game between two teams.
It is not personal.
It's Paris against Manchester.
It will be a fight between two good teams.
Guardiola is one of the best in the world if not the best coach in the world.
I respect everything he has done in football, what he has built.
For my part, I love football, I continue to learn, to want to win.
But it's only a game between two big clubs.
Guardiola says it's impossible to control PSG for 90 minutes.
Would you say the same about City?
Of course, it's going to be complicated with incredible players.
On our side, it will be very hard, we will have to be very competitive.
City have done a big job, a big season.
It will be difficult, complicated.
We hope to achieve a great performance.
That's all you want in a game like this.
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What do you remember from the quarter-final won against City with Tottenham in 2019?
Experience is one thing.
City is different today.
PSG too.
I have nothing to gain from this game, sorry.
Can you compare Kylian Mbappé and Phil Foden?
Foden is a fantastic player, I know him very well.
He is one of the players that we have to control with Mahrez or Sterling.
It's one of the best teams in the world, with these players and staff.
They won the championship, the League Cup.
The two players are hard to compare.
But there is no doubt that he is a great player.
Why
Neymar
is so happy in Paris.
What is your share of success in this happiness?
That's a question to ask him.
I had a natural approach with him, in a professional relationship.
You don't give more to one player than to another.
Obviously, we do not treat some people like young people who are just starting out.
You have to take care of all the players while being natural with all.
I didn't do anything in particular with Neymar.
We respect them all in the same way.
Are City stronger than Bayern Munich?
City are one of the best teams in the world with their coach.
It will be hard, harder than against Bayern.
We do not know.
But we are confident.
There are a lot of theories, we can talk about it but you have to play two whole games.
We come, we prepared in the best way and we will see if we can beat them.
It's football, we are confident but it will be totally different from what we experienced before.
We stay focused but we are relaxed as before Bayern.
We know that we will be facing a great team made up of great players.
Are you going to line up your typical team?
I don't really remember my typical team because we change a lot, due to multiple circumstances. You have to manage the players. We're going to have a team that I think is the best possible. All players are almost available, it will not be easy for some players, nor very fair. But we are focused, we know that this match is very important for the players, the staff, and all the supporters who will watch the match on television.
