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Paris Saint-Germain players are motivated to make history by winning the Champions League this season, to midfielder Pablo Sarabia.
The French giants have already won the Cup Winners’ Cup and the Intertoto Cup, they have never gone past the semi-finals of the UEFA flagship competition.
Having already finished a national treble this season, PSG is now focusing on the single leg quarter-finals of Wednesday’s Champions League with Atalanta in Lisbon.
But while Sarabia is in a position to write her call in club folklore, she acknowledges that defeating Atalanta, who finished third in Serie A, will be a wonderful task.
“This is a wonderful opportunity. We will try to make it a truth and make the history of Paris Saint-Germain,” he told the club’s official website.
“I think it’s a good time to do it. We’ve focused on that for some time now. We’ll have to be prepared.”
“We will examine our opponent thoroughly and do well to make history. I think we’re in a position for this party which is very important. We’re motivated.
“Atalanta is a smart team. They proved they can just play, put a lot of pressure on them. In the lead, they have wonderful players who can score a lot of goals.
“What we will try to do with our weapons and our football is to neutralize the strengths of our war-going parties and prove our own.”
Following this year’s coronavirus pandemic, circular 16 this year is exclusive, as the condensed tournament will be held in unbiased territory from the quarter-finals with an adjustment played in a singles circular.
RB Leipzig or Atletico Madrid will be waiting in the semi-finals if PSG sees Atalanta and Sarabia believes the new format can fit their team thanks to their good luck in singles matches.
“We have adapted to the situation. It’s exclusive because we’re going to play every single game in one place, in a match, which has never happened before,” he said.
“One of the demanding situations for all groups will be to adapt well. The more they do, the more they’ll get out in the competition.
“We just played two very competitive finals. We try to play our football and stay in combination as a team. We also had to use our experience.
“Now, of course, we are very motivated and hopeful with what will come next, that is, the Champions League. It’s the most important competition, the one everyone has to win.”
PSG had a gap of almost five months between competitive matches before beating Saint-Etienne 1-0 in the French Cup final on 24 July.
Thomas Tuchel’s men, sweating in the fitness of star striker Kylian Mbappé, followed with a penalty shootout win over Lyon in the League Cup final a week later.
Sarabia is with the PSG’s arrangements for the Atalanta crash, adding: “Little by little, we have taken a step forward physically.
“It is true that the preparation is long, but we are getting better. We gained confidence and accumulated game time, which helped us improve.
“I think this is a smart time for us. We have to go step by step. We’re all thinking about Wednesday’s game. It’s the game that counts now, the season-high.”