Maresca: It’s a Champions League night against the best team in Europe, hopefully we can win

Man City hosted PSG in the second round of the Champions League group stage. Before the match, Man City manager Enzo Maresca spoke to TNT Sports, discussing Guardiola's return, Doku's playing time management, Donnarumma facing his former club, and his previous experience leading Chelsea to victory over Paris in the Club World Cup final.

This is Man City's first home game since the guilty verdict was announced. What message do you think the full house of Man City fans will send tonight?

Yes, it's a special night. It's a Champions League night, and we're playing against one of the best teams in Europe right now. Hopefully, we can win the game.

We heard Pep Guardiola is also here tonight, and we heard he visited the training ground today. Did you get a chance to speak to him?

I know Pep is coming tonight, but he didn't visit the training ground today. No, I didn't speak to him.

Will knowing that Guardiola is here tonight to support the club be an inspiration to everyone—not just you and the players, but also the fans?

Even when he's not here, he's always supporting the club. Tonight is also a special moment for him because he's back home. The same goes for the fans; I'm sure they'll be very happy to see Pep back tonight.

Let's look at your starting lineup. You made three changes compared to Sunday, one of which is Doku, whose previous performances have changed the course of games. Was it an easy decision to start him?

Quite easy. These decisions are relatively straightforward. However, for Doku, the most important thing remains taking care of his body, avoiding injuries, and keeping him healthy. So we've been managing his playing time carefully.

Donnarumma will face his former club tonight. I think many people were quite surprised when he left PSG. How happy are you that he's fighting for you now, instead of against you?

Of course, very happy. As for why he left Paris, I wasn't there at the time, so I don't know. But I'm very happy that Gigi is with us now.

PSG has been one of the best teams in Europe in recent years, but you led Chelsea to beat them in the Club World Cup final. Did that game teach you anything you can apply to tonight's match?

Yes, as I said yesterday, I think to beat them you have to put in a complete performance. Whether with or without the ball, you need to perform at the highest level. At the same time, we will definitely create some great chances, but we will also give them some opportunities. The key is to find the right balance between attack and defense.

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