Verratti: 'It will be a great game'

Last December, Paris Saint-Germain played their final match of the UEFA Champions League group stage against Galatasaray (5-0), finishing the first phase undefeated. Now, more than two months later, Les  Parisiens are reunited with the continental competition, and a trip to Dortmund on Tuesday.

Thomas Tuchel's side have continued their fine run of form in the run-up to the Round of 16 first leg and are now unbeaten in 23 matches in all competitions. But did they have the game in their minds?

Marco Verratti said: "Even if we weren't thinking about Borussia Dortmund yet, when I was at home and there was a match in Dortmund, I watched it. Of course you watch them because you know you're going to play them. We know that this is a special team against whom anything can happen. They lose 3-1, they win 5-3, or the other way around, but it is a team that never gives up, that plays with enthusiasm. I had seen the group phase match against Inter, in which they were losing 2-0 at half-time at home. But in the second half they scored three goals, and it ended 3-2. That's why we know we have to be watchful. But it's going to be a great game. In the end, even if we didn't sit down to prepare this game weeks in advance, we always end up thinking about it in a corner of our head, especially when we're getting closer to the game."

As the match approached, excitement began to win over the Parisian troops. Pablo Sarabia, scorer of two goals in the UEFA Champions League, is already looking ahead to the match: "We're going to try and qualify against Dortmund. But they're a great team, very dangerous on the counter-attack. Offensively, they score a lot of goals." Does the Spanish international's preparation for the match change in any way? "No, I prepare in the same way as I do for other games. I keep the same habits. Otherwise I think I'd be under more pressure."

Finally, Thomas Tuchel's assistant, Zoumana Camara, shared his feelings before Paris take on Borussia Dortmund. "The stadium is exceptional. There will be a lot of atmosphere," explained the man who, as a Paris player, had already played in this stadium. "We'll have handle the pressure, but we've got players who like it. They like this kind of match, the atmosphere and the tension. We're going to play against a great team that also has great attacking strengths. I think it's going to be a very open game, a big game of football."