Maresca ahead of City v PSG: "We need the perfect game"
Manchester City boss Enzo Maresca calls holders PSG the best team in Europe and rejects criticism of his side's celebrations after the 3-0 win at Liverpool.
Archive image · Photo: Timmy96 / Wikimedia Commons, CC0 (cropped and resized)
Manchester City host Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League on Wednesday at 8 p.m. UK time. Speaking at Tuesday's press conference, head coach Enzo Maresca said his side need "the perfect game" because PSG are currently the best team in Europe. The Paris club have won the competition in each of the past two seasons. But if City play their best, they can beat them, Maresca said.
The Italian said he did not know how close or far his team are from PSG, adding: "for sure, we are a good team." He admitted City need to improve both in attack and in defence. City's most recent outing was a 3-0 Premier League win at Anfield against Liverpool, their first match after being found guilty of breaching the league's financial rules.
Maresca rejected criticism of his players' celebrations after that win: "We won 3-0 at Anfield, what do you want us to do?" He said he was "completely calm and relaxed" and does not stress about things he cannot control, BBC Sport reported. Pep Guardiola is also due back at the Etihad on Wednesday for the first time since leaving in the summer. "This has been his house for 10 years," Maresca said.