10th April, 2013
Coach Carlo Ancelotti of PSG has declared that his French Ligue 1 side will “make the most of everything we have” to scale the hurdles of FC Barcelona to the semi final of the UEFA Champions League tonight.
To this end, the manager has charged his team to attack, defend, be solid, be strong and make the most of everything they get to beat the Spanish giants.
We have a better chance if Lionel Messi doesn’t play, but it won’t change our strategy. We’ve got to have confidence to play against one of the best teams in the world. We need confidence and character. We can’t think about our mistakes but about what we did well in the first leg,” said Ancelotti.
“I’m not worried. PSG are happy to be here because it’ll be a fantastic night. Everyone knows we have a small chance of making it, but we do have a chance. We have proved we can play well against a fantastic team.
“I have to say we will use all our quality – attack, defend, be solid, be strong and make the most of everything we have. Nothing will change at PSG even if we don’t make it to the semi-finals; the future is fantastic whether we win or lose.
“If we don’t win it this season, we will try to do it next. It’s important for us to have our fans here to see the match. They are here to help us and that’s very positive. We will make an effort for everyone at PSG,” he said.
Satisfied with a 2-2 away draw in Paris, assistant coach Jordi Roura is confident Barcelona’s squad are strong enough to overcome mounting injury worries and progress past PSG to a sixth consecutive Champions League semi-final.
With eight-goal Lionel Messi, forward Pedro Rodríguez and full-back Adriano set for fitness tests and defenders Carles Puyol and Javier Mascherano already out, Roura remains assured there will be no drop in standard, saying the “replacements offer guarantees and will perform at the highest level”.
“The feeling we have is positive but we have to wait for the training sessions before making decisions on Messi and other injured players.
“If Messi cannot play, we will miss the best player in the world. It would be a handicap for us, but his replacement will play well too and we will try to win. The best way to approach this tie was to play a great first leg. We are happy with what we did in Paris. If Messi cannot play, his replacements offer guarantees and will perform at the highest level.
“Every match and every team are different. I am happy with the 2-2 draw in Paris. We have to treat this return game like a final and give an intense display. Our intention will be to win, like all our matches. We have to try that from the start.
“I do not think PSG will change their style. We know them perfectly well and they are dangerous on the counterattack. We are used to these scenarios and these teams; that will not change our way of playing. We have to win the match and that will guarantee us a semi-final, our sixth successive participation at that stage,” Roura said.