“It’s a good screline, and certainly a little flattering. The advantage is a good one, but not enough considering the quality of this Wolfsburg side. We have to be very careful and look to create chances and hopefull score a goal.”
Claude Makelele remained in Paris with one eye on Sunday’s league game...
“I’m used to giving hima break during the UEFA Cup matches, but especially considering we’re playing Nancy on Sunday at 5pm. I also thought it was important that Claude front up to the LFP disciplinary tribunal on Thursday. So I had two good reasons to leave him in Paris.”
And Makelele’s absence means the youngster Makonda is back in the squad...
“Tripy played very well in the Gambardella Cup match last Sunday (3-0 versus Lens). He was a cut above in a one-off Cup match and that was great for me to see. Mamadou Sakho is a great leader and example for this very talented generation of players at the club. He has a slight head start over the other youngsters, but just like Makonda, they’re coming!”
Do you think it will be important not to concede a goal in the opening half-hour of Thursday’s game?
“Wolfsburg have an excellent home record. To concede an early goal would be prejudicial, very prejudicial. But even if we concede three and score one, we’ll still be qualified. And this season, we’ve played a lot of games without conceding goals.”
| Fabrice Pancrate “This Wolfsburg team rely heavily on the strength and skill of their centre forward. We’ll need to stay very focused from start to finish and our lead from the first-leg should be enough to see us through. Our priority remains the Ligue 1 championship, even if the Cups mean a lot to us, as well. We’re going to do whatever we can to go as far as we can in this UEFA Cup. We know all about the atmosphere inside German grounds. There’ll be a huge pressure on us, but we’re ready!” |
