Paris Saint-Germain captain Marquinhos has issued a warning to his team-mates regarding Arsenal’s exceptional set-piece efficiency ahead of the Champions League final. The veteran Brazilian defender is demanding total concentration from the French champions, who will look to defend their European title at the Puskas Arena.
Marquinhos on PSG’s Motivation
On the eve of the historic showpiece in Budapest, Marquinhos conducted official pre-match media duties alongside French forward Ousmane Dembele. The centre-back addressed the immense challenges posed by Mikel Arteta’s side, highlighting the meticulous tactical details that decide continental showpieces. This encounter marks the eighth meeting between the teams across all competitions, with their perfectly balanced head-to-head record adding further tension to the first-ever major European final played between English and French clubs.
Opening the press conference regarding the squad’s motivation to retain their European crown, Marquinhos stated: “Once you’ve won the Champions League, once you’ve tasted that title, you want to experience that kind of moment again.
“I still remember the emotion in the dressing room after the final. We have to be hungry, we have to have to be motivated. We’ve seen fans making the trip by car. In fact, even my father is doing so with some friends. People are coming from far away to motivate us, so our ambition this year is the same, perhaps even bigger.”
Maintaining Focus for the Final
The Brazilian central defender emphasised that even though they are the reigning continental title-holders, the squad will head into this final with the exact same focus and eagerness as they did in Munich twelve months ago: “It’s the same feeling, the same motivation. Even if we’ve already experienced it, we’re human beings. These are important matches, they’re difficult moments, there’s a lot going on around them.
“Last season’s approach was to try and manage everything that’s going on around the match, everything concerning the pressure. We’re not going to change anything, we’re going to keep working as we’ve been doing until now and keep the motivation that we had last year.”
PSG’s Defensive Plans Against Arsenal
When turning to discuss the French side’s defensive plans to counter the set-piece efficiency and overall threat of Arsenal, the captain added: “We’ve played them a few times over the last few years, and we know what their strengths are. We know how difficult it is to face this Arsenal team. We can’t know what will happen during the match, and what could be the deciding moment. We need to be ready for anything.
“Whatever the opponent this season, whether it was against Liverpool, Chelsea, or Bayern Munich, there were times where they made it difficult for us. We managed to step up and adapt to what was needed. In a final, we’ll need to be decisive when it comes to the details.”
Luis Enrique’s squad faces an extraordinary test against an undefeated Arsenal side that boasts the finest def