After Olympique de Marseille’s qualification for the Coupe de France quarter-finals against Rennes (3-0), Roberto De Zerbi (46 years old) looked ahead to the upcoming Ligue 1 clash against Paris Saint-Germain at the Parc des Princes on Sunday evening at 8:45 pm CET. In a press conference, the Italian coach acknowledged PSG’s superiority while demanding from his players a hunger for victory comparable to that shown in Kuwait during the Trophée des Champions in early January.
De Zerbi: “PSG is the strongest team in Europe”
“How can OM bring back a good result from the Parc des Princes on Sunday evening (8:45 pm)?
PSG is the strongest team in Europe. And not just because they won the Champions League, I truly believe that.” So we need to go onto the pitch with the same hunger we had in Kuwait (2-2, 1-4 on penalties in the Champions Trophy on January 8th), with the same focus we had that Tuesday night, but with more quality. We must have the ambition to win in Paris.”
Roberto De Zerbi doesn’t see the trip to the Parc des Princes as a simple exercise in management or survival against Paris Saint-Germain. He refuses to let his Olympique de Marseille be content with simply “holding on” or limiting the damage, and insists that OM go to Paris with the idea of winning, remaining aggressive and actively seeking the game rather than retreating behind a defensive approach.
For him, the key lies in a combination of hunger, focus, and technical quality, modeled on the intensity shown in Kuwait during the Champions Trophy, but with greater precision in distribution and transitions. By demanding that his players go and get PSG on their own turf, De Zerbi draws a clear line: OM will not be a willing victim, even against a team that he considers to be the strongest in Europe.
