Mauricio Pochettino: "I have full faith in my team and in our fans"

ON THE GAME

"Real Madrid are one of the biggest clubs in the world when you take into account their history and their titles. With their 13 Champions Leagues, you can see that it's not just about the players or the coaching staff; it's a strength within the club. When you win trophies, it's a combination of factors, especially in this competition. There are no favourites. It could be a Champions League final given the quality of both sides. Paris Saint-Germain are hoping to win this title and are one of the contenders for it. The club strengthened in the summer in order to get closer to that dream, and I have full faith in my team and in our fans. We're at the same level as them in this tie."

ON REAL MADRID

"You always need to respect Real Madrid. They have incredible strength, which means that they always put things right when it matters. They've had some tough times domestically but some great times in the Champions League without necessarily playing all that well. They just had that unity and that desire to fight together. Playing well is nice, but it's good to have that strength."

ON THE TEAM'S MINDSET

"The team is doing well; we don't really need to talk about form. There's a lot of motivation for this game; all the players are highly motivated. Lionel Messi is in good shape and showing a lot of desire. It's a big night for him with his talent and his experience."

ON THE TEAM'S PREPARATIONS

"We want to have things clear in our minds and be certain that we're doing the right thing. We can share things with the players so that we're in agreement, but the most important thing during these last three days of training is to be sure that we're going in the right direction. That's key, as we've got the talent. I think that with our qualities, we can exploit Real Madrid's weaknesses and counteract their strong points."