At a press conference on the eve of the Champions League semi-final return to Manchester City scheduled for Tuesday (9 p.m.), Marco Verratti stressed that it is by showing solidarity that the Parisians will be able to raise their handicap by two goals after the first leg lost at Parc des Princes last Wednesday.
What type of match are you expecting?
MARCO VERRATTI.
We expect a Champions League semi-final.
All the teams want to reach the final.
It's a great game to play.
We have to stay calm and play the game that allowed us to get there.
It will be difficult.
We will have to manage the emotions because there will be times when we will suffer.
We will have to do the maximum every minute because we saw it on the way that it can be played on details.
At kick-off, what does being eliminated change?
It's true that mentally it's a little different.
To go to the final, it will be necessary to win with two goals difference.
But we have a team that starts each match with the desire to win.
It is difficult terrain, facing a tough team to play.
We know we have nothing to lose.
You also have to be happy on the pitch, think about playing football because these are matches that everyone wants to play.
If we want to reach the final we need all these ingredients.
We have shown that outside we play with a lot of personality.
To play the final, we know we have to go through this type of match.
What is the atmosphere like within the group?
Very good.
We can still win all the trophies possible.
After the first leg, there was disappointment because it was not a game that we deserved to lose.
We then beat Lens which is a team that plays very well.
We are happy and we can't wait for tomorrow to arrive to show on the pitch that we can do it all together.
We must be the first to believe in ourselves.
We have to be quiet and do what we have always done.
How can you master Kevin De Bruyne?
He is a very strong player but we have already played against very great.
When you want to win the Champions League you have to face the best.
Tuesday we will have to be eleven warriors on the field, helping each other on each ball.
It is collectively that we will seek to make the match difficult for De Bruyne.
What will be the key to the match?
The key is a bit of everything.
The main thing is to play the ball, to create opportunities and to take advantage because football is a pleasure, especially this type of match.
It takes a lot of personality.
It's all in order to win the Champions League.
It is won on small details.
The 90 minutes never go the way you want.
But a little stroke of genius like that can happen with Kylian (Mbappé) or Neymar.
What should you do if you find yourself in pain like in the second half of the first leg?
Pray God !
We're not a team of aliens.
We will definitely suffer.
But if we're in pain, let's do it together.
The attacker must be the first defender.
We are in the half, we know that it is not easy to reach the final.
Against Bayern we suffered until the last minute.
Against Barcelona, the return match was difficult.
But we are ready to do anything to reach the final.
What is your take on the City game?
We know Guardiola's style of play: he wants to have control of the pace. But we have to focus on us. We too are a great team that deserves to be there. We also have a great trainer who allowed us to get there. We must remain lucid. It's not like we lost 4-0 and needed to work a miracle. They have a little advantage after the go. But we are close, and we must give everything on the field. City want to play with the ball, it's up to us to also play with our style tomorrow (Wednesday).