Thomas Tuchel: 'A special kind of game'

SQUAD

"Neymar, Thilo Kherer, Idrissa Gueye and Thomas Meunier will not be in the squad. Ander Herrera and Julian Draxler are training with the squad and are ready. There's still a training session to come on Saturday afternoon and then another on Sunday morning. We'll then decide on which players to call upon."

THE MATCH

"I expect an intense game because it's a Classique. It's a special match, a special atmosphere. We like that. We have to be ready for the challenge, ready for that intensity. It's a special game, like a Champions League match or a cup tie. I'm looking forward to it, for sure. It's also a special game for us, the staff. We feel it in the hours leading up to the game, in the coach...Everyone is talking about this game."

PREPARATION

"We are trying to prepare for this game in peace and quiet. You can't have too much emotion, you have to stay calm. Having said that, it's not possible to play without emotions. It's not a match like the others. There's a great history which it is absolutely necessary to respect. We're leaders, they're fourth, but that's not important. It's a good opportunity for Marseille. They'll give their all to get a good result. We'll have to be ready for that. We have the quality and experience for that. So we have to prepare for the game calmly in order to be ready."

ATMOSPHERE

"We expect a special atmosphere. We have a lot of respect for our fans and we know this game is important for them. It's a special kind of game, you feel that. We love atmospheres like that. We have the experience, I'm convinced that we're ready to do battle with them. It's a big challenge. We expect OM to give their best in terms of intensity and aggression. We'll have to be ready."