This Wednesday at 9 PM (CET), Paris Saint-Germain will face Atalanta at the Parc des Princes for the first matchday of the 2025-2026 Champions League. Speaking to the Italian club’s media, 34-year-old midfielder Marten De Roon discussed how to approach such a match.
De Roon: “It could have been worse.”
A new adventure begins in the Champions League, against the defending champions:
“It could have been worse (smiling). It’s a beautiful stadium, and it’s a great match against the European champions, probably the strongest team in the world right now. It’s a fantastic challenge for us, and we’re looking forward to it. It will be very difficult, that’s for sure. But in Europe, we’ve always performed well. We’ve prepared well, with great determination. It’s a new adventure, we’ll see tomorrow.”
De Roon: “We’ll have to play without holding back.”
What needs to be done against Paris?
“There are many things to do well (smiling). The first thing is the mentality. We have to go out on the pitch and give everything, all 16 players who can play. We’ll have to play at a very high level, be ready, respect the opponent without being afraid. As we say in Bergamo: fear no one. We’ll have to play without holding back, that will be essential.”
De Roon: “We’ve found our rhythm.”
Was the victory against Lecce important?
“It’s fundamental. We’re still finding our feet with the new coach. We need patience. We were lacking a bit of confidence, but we’ve found our rhythm and played better, with more pace, with more hunger. That’s what we need, and we have to show it on the pitch. Against PSG, it will be essential.
