Paris Saint-Germain "have to play with confidence" if they want to come out on top in Sunday's Classique with Olympique de Marseille, says the Ligue 1 Conforama leaders' coach Thomas Tuchel.
PSG's self-belief took a blow with their surprise UEFA Champions League exit to Manchester United, and their 4-0 win at Dijon FCO on Tuesday only partially helped to repair the damage.
They have won all 14 home league games this season, but Marseille, who have triumphed five times in a six-match unbeaten streak that has propelled them back into the hunt for a top-three finish, will provide a stiff test of PSG's powers of recovery.
"They are an in-form side that have won a lot of matches in recent weeks. Their confidence is high, they have quality... that's why it will be a complicated match. We will have to be at our very best. They have a lot of individual quality, especially in attack. They get a lot of crosses in and have a strong presence in the box. They have also changed tactically, since switching to 4-4-2 and their results have improved," explained Tuchel.
"We have to be careful. Like I said, they have a strong presence in the box and we will have to careful of their crosses. We will have to defend high to avoid getting caught out. We will also need to defend well on the flanks. We have to stop them crossing. We have to control the match and play at our rhythm. We have to play with confidence to keep winning."
