Bayern vs. PSG: Marco Verratti pre-game press conference

It's a win-or-go-home week for PSG in the UEFA Champions League. Paris Saint-Germain faces the most important game of their season to date in the second-leg matchup at Bayern Munich in the UCL last-16 round. After losing the first-leg clash 0-1 at the Parc des Princes the only thing Paris can do to advance is to defeat the German giants on Wednesday.

There have been more than enough bright signs throughout the last three weeks for PSG to believe they can pull off the comeback on the lawn of Bayern Munich. They have put together a three-match winning streak for the first time in 2023 and the team is playing much better football than a month ago when they dropped three consecutive games.

PSG midfielder and Italy international Marco Verratti attended the pre-match press conference on Tuesday evening.

Here are some of the most interesting comments he shared ahead of visiting the Allianz Arena with his PSG teammates on Wednesday.

For Kylian Mbappe after the first leg, PSG remain favorites. Do you share this opinion?

"It's a very important game. We lost 1-0 in the first leg in front of our supporters, they took the lead, but there is still one game to play. We know that we will have to play a great match against a great team. I see that my teammates are confident. We're going to have a great game. We have a lot of pressure, but we play for something big and we like to have this pressure. I repeat I'm sure we're going to have a big game."

Does the confidence of this group come down to Mbappe?

"It boils down to everyone. We are lucky to have Kylian because he is always there. He is a player with a great personality, a great character, and great confidence. We need players like him. Bayern will play their football, it will be a game with lots of duels. It will also be our job to win as many duels as possible."

How do you explain that you are more confident than going forward despite the defeat?

"We have players with great character. We'll handle our responsibilities. Coming into a match like this with confidence is very important. After the defeat in the first leg against Bayern, we spoke to each other, we expected a little more. To win here, and play the best possible match, you have to be at a 100% individually and collectively. There will be a lot of great players on the pitch and I hope we can have fun. We have to show that we are good and that we can win at this stage."

Are you at 100%? Do you feel more liberated in this role of defensive midfielder?

"It's normal for me to lose momentum (at the beginning of the year). I had an injury that kept me out of action for a while. I didn't play much in January, but I feel good with my teammates and in this game system (3-5-2). I hope to have a great game and that it ends well for all of us."