PSG-Barça: “We will have to do more than stop Mbappé to win”, slips Koundé

His mindset: “I’m very excited, I’m very happy, I can’t wait to start this match already. This is my first C1 quarter-final with FC Barcelona. The team is good, with good dynamics, we are all looking forward to it.”

Kylian Mbappé: “How to defend on him? We have to wait for the coach's decision. He makes differences, I know him from the France team, we obviously have to do our best to stop him, but we will do it at the collective level and PSG is not just Kylian Mbappé. (…) Any advice for my teammates? He's a player that everyone sees and knows. The staff also prepared us with videos. But it's not Kylian against Barça. These are two teams facing each other, with players who know how to make differences, including Kylian. You will have to do more than stop Kylian to win, and be very good in all areas. (…) You ask a lot of questions about Mbappé (laughs)! As I said before, I will do what the coach decides and I will try to do the best possible.

Who is favorite: “We players don’t think about that. It's more for the press. I have confidence in my team, we feel good. It will be a difficult match, it’s true, but I don’t think we are favorites.”

Pau Cubardi: “Pau has already shown that he is a good player despite his young age. He is very good. He has a role as a model for the young people of La Masia, a good example for those who want to play, like Fermin (Lopez) and others. They play without pressure, calmly and they do good for the team.

Little pressure on PSG despite investments: “I don’t know… I don’t have an opinion on that as a player.”

Who he fears the most between Ousmane Dembélé or Kylian Mbappé: “No, honestly, they are two very good players with different qualities, they are capable of hitting, eliminating, players who know how to make differences. Ousmane in a slightly more dribbling style than Kylian. But we will have to stop them, monitor them, if we want to prevail. Who do I prefer to watch? I'm going to say Ousmane because I played with him (at Barcelona)."

The reunion with many French internationals: “Honestly, I will handle it like any other match. I will have teammates from the French team opposite and I am very happy to see them again. But no more than that, it's a very important match for us. It doesn’t change much to have teammates across from you.”

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The reasons for Barça's revival: “We have found a defensive solidity which was our strength last season, we are making more efforts together, we are defending better. And obviously, it’s easier to win matches. We are also more focused. And we are a little more efficient. All this means that we are in a good dynamic, we win matches, we find pleasure in playing and making efforts together, we are keen to continue this dynamic.

On the side or in the middle: “I want to play. I can play on the side or in the middle, I don't have a preference. I will do what the coach asks me.”

The PSG-Barça rivalry: “It’s special, especially away from home. There are precedents in the Champions League and things behind the scenes. It's a special match, it's true, but not necessarily for us. There are a lot of young players, I myself arrived recently, I didn't play the previous matches between the two teams... It's an important match, a quarter-final of the Champions League, but we don't doesn’t take it any more personally than that.”

The challenges for Barça: “Our goal is to reach the semi-finals and that is the challenge. We are very excited. It's the first time for me in quarters. I have a lot of confidence in the team. The whole club is excited.”

The key to the match: “There are several! Defending well will be very important. They like to have possession, like us. This is an offensive team with a lot of talent on all lines. Above all, we will have to defend well, be compact, make efforts together, and then try to put our game in place, try to have the ball as much as possible, this will prevent them from having it and putting us in danger. We will also have to be very focused because it is a team that is capable of playing in transition with very fast players.

Comments collected at a press conference