PSG/Liverpool – Vitinha opens up: Dembélé, Ruiz, Hakimi and mindset | OneFootball

On Wednesday, in the first leg of the 2025-2026 Champions League quarter-finals (return leg on April 14), Paris Saint-Germain will face Liverpool at the Parc des Princes (kick-off at 9 p.m., live broadcast on Canal+). On the eve of this match, Paris midfielder Vitinha (26) answered several questions at a press conference.

Vitinha: “The team takes responsibility”

What kind of leader is Dembélé? Is he different since winning the Ballon d’Or?

I’d say he has always been a bit of a leader, even when he wasn’t captain. When you have a guy who does what he does on the pitch, it’s contagious. That’s a form of leadership. After the Ballon d’Or, he has that status. But it’s something natural.

Does Ruiz’s absence mean a change in roles, since Zaïre-Emery is playing?

It’s true that he’s been absent for a little while. We want all the players available, especially a player who was playing all the time last year. They are different, that’s true. But it’s up to us to adapt. And I think we’ve already shown many times that when someone is absent, no matter who it is, the team takes responsibility and wins, it steps up. That’s the most important thing, one way or another. I also adjust my game, you have to be ready.

Vitinha: “Sometimes, you can’t control it.”

How do you avoid physical setbacks?

I’ve been lucky not to have had any problems, and we’ll keep hoping I don’t have any. Sometimes, you can’t control it. We’re all very professional. We do what we can to recover well, we have lots of things in place. I think we all do it. After that, it’s luck and genetics. I’m happy the injuries aren’t coming. Luck is important too (smile).

Vitinha: “There is no favorite, there are two big matches.”

Are you getting used to the favorite tag? Are you really the favorites tomorrow?

You’re the ones saying that, just like Liverpool were last year. It means nothing to us. We know football well, there is no favorite. Liverpool are Liverpool, even if they are not in ideal form. It’s a team with great players. On a Champions League night, everything can be different. There is no favorite, there are two big matches. Tomorrow, we’ll be at 100%, alert. We know that if we put the right ingredients in, we can get a good result, but it’s still a very difficult match.

Did Dembélé’s dig change anything?

We talked about it, we’re calm, we know our teammates well. He was fired up at the end of the match, he spoke, that’s normal. He was a little right, we took it well and we kept going. We saw a good result.

Did you take it personally?

No, not at all (smile).

Vitinha: “We’ll be alert, 100% ready”

Does PSG have a psychological edge?

If it can benefit us, I hope so. If it can hurt us, I don’t want it. The mental side is very important in this type of match. We can’t control the opponent’s state, only our own. We’ll be alert, 100% ready, as we have always been.

Vitinha: “We can’t wait. But it will be a different match.”

Last year, did you feel like you touched perfection in the round of 16? Did that change your season?

They were two exceptional matches, Arne Slot talked about them a lot. In the first match, we were frustrated. We did everything, we controlled the match a lot, Liverpool had no chances apart from the goal, while Alisson made lots of saves. That’s what we want to do, but it’s not easy. People make the mistake of thinking it is. There was frustration.

We were talking about the fact that we could win by playing like that over there. We managed to do it, but that was last year. There have been changes, it’s a different year. A lot can already happen in a week, even more in a year. We can’t wait. But it will be a different match.

Vitinha: “He is a fundamental piece of the team”

What would it be like for you to face a former club, like Ekitike tomorrow?

I can’t say, I haven’t experienced it. As for Ekitike, I can say he’s a fantastic guy. I liked playing with him. Unfortunately, it wasn’t the right context for him. But he managed to turn things around for himself and I wish him the best, except tomorrow.

What does Hakimi bring?

He is a fundamental piece of the team, not only because of his stats, which are incredible. He gives us an advantage offensively. He adds a huge amount to our play. And then he does all the defensive work. He’s a complete player, and on top of that a player who is very important for the team. I hope he keeps going like this, he is indispensable.

Vitinha: “They have a superb team, it’s always dangerous to play against them.”

There is a lot of pressure on Liverpool, can you use that?

I’ll say what I said earlier, Liverpool will always be Liverpool. We know they are not in their best form. If we can take advantage of that, we will. We know psychology is important. But we are being very careful. They have a superb team, it’s always dangerous to play against them. We’re going to give everything, we’ll be very focused so we can win.

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