PSG/Arsenal – Marquinhos says Paris are still hungry | OneFootball

On Saturday, in the 2025-2026 Champions League final, Paris Saint-Germain will face Arsenal at the Puskas Arena in Budapest (kick-off at 6 p.m., live on Canal+ and M6). On the eve of this match, Parisian defender and captain Marquinhos (32) answered several questions at a press conference.

Marquinhos: “The ambition hasn’t changed. Maybe it’s even greater, because we want to experience that emotion again.”

Can Arsenal think they are hungrier than you?

It’s really important to have motivation. Last year, we gave everything on the pitch. That’s still the case this year, and we’re going to show it on the pitch. Once you’ve had a taste of that moment, you want so badly to live it again. I remember the emotion in the dressing room. We’re competitors, we want to experience that again. We have to be hungry, to have motivation. There are supporters coming by car, coming from far away. The ambition hasn’t changed. Maybe it’s even greater, because we want to experience that emotion again.

Does having won the Champions League help you feel more relaxed emotionally?

I don’t think so. It’s always the same emotion, the same motivation. Even if you’ve already lived through it, we’re human beings, players, and these are important and difficult moments. There’s a lot going on around it. Already last year, the message was to manage that well. We mustn’t change anything, we have to work as we did and stay hungry like last year. That’s how we prepared. I have the same feelings as last year.

Marquinhos: “It’s not just tactics, he prepares us mentally and physically.”

Luis Enrique’s main strengths? Is he a guru who can convince you of anything?

Since he arrived, he has been a coach who has put things in place, his philosophy, his strategy. What he has put in place, for the most part, has really made an impact. That’s how you convince a group, not just with words. That’s why we are where we are.

He sees things very clearly. It’s not just tactics, he prepares us mentally and physically. He manages playing time. He’s complete. We can see that what he says works. He’s a top-level coach. I hope we’ll stay together with him at PSG for a long time.

Marquinhos: “It will be important, we’ve prepared for all those details.”

You’ve worked on set pieces, will they be decisive against Arsenal? How do you work on that?

We have worked on them. We’ve already played Arsenal quite a bit in recent years. We know their strengths, how tough they are as players. You never know what can happen in a match. You have to be ready for everything. We’ve seen it in our run, with Liverpool, Bayern, Chelsea, all the teams managed to put us under pressure. We stepped up and knew how to adapt.

In a final, you have to be decisive in the details. You have to know how to attack, defend, counter, defend and attack on set pieces. It will be important, we’ve prepared for all those details.

A very high-intensity match is coming up. There’s also the World Cup coming, so could the risk of injury be on players’ minds? How do you strike the balance between wanting to play and the risks involved?

You can’t put yourself in danger and ease off in a match like this. It’s a Champions League final, you don’t play one every year. It’s very difficult, very tough. There are people who never get to experience this in their career. Even if most players have a World Cup coming up, our feelings, our minds, our hearts and our motivation are all focused on this match.

We have to know how to separate things, separate moments. Even if the World Cup is extraordinary, the final is just as important. You have to live it. And if we don’t play at 100%, that’s when danger comes. I want to win, to feel that emotion, to win that trophy. That way, I’ll be even happier and more confident for the World Cup.

Marquinhos: “The strength of our team is that danger can come from anywhere.”

Kvaratskhelia and Dembélé, a word about those players?

I can’t say anything about Ousmane, he’s right here (laughs). The strength of our team is that danger can come from anywhere. We have players who can do everything. The forwards can play in midfield, defend, play on the left, on the right. There’s great mobility. This is the team built by Luis Enrique. It’s not just those two players. The danger comes from everywhere. There are important players all over the team.

We’re a complete team. Kvara and Ousmane are having incredible seasons, they are leaders in decisive moments. We’re really happy to have them with us. It’s a blessing to have players like that who give everything for a team. The supporters are happy to see them on the pitch. They’re doing it again this season. They truly deserve to be in the spotlight.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇫🇷 here.