Danilo Pereira and Paris Saint-Germain take on FC Nantes in Ligue 1 Uber Eats Round 26 at 21:00 CET on Saturday 4 March, with the all-important second leg of their UEFA Champions League last 16 tie with Bayern Munich - in Bavaria - to follow on Wednesday 8 March.

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Journalist: Your coach and team-mates describe you as a model team player...
Danilo Pereira: "When I'm on the bench, of course I'm not happy, but that's the way it is, there are 25 of us, everyone wants to play. But I'm ready to come on and give my best to help the team, that's my mentality. And it helps me a lot; after that it's easier to get into the game. When I arrived at Parma at 18, I couldn't say anything when I was on the bench, but I've always been like that, I'm a player who has worked hard to succeed. I think I haven't changed much since I was 18, only now I am more experienced."

Does that come from your education?
"It's the education I received, the relationship I have with my mother, especially when it comes to emotions. I think my upbringing has helped me to get here. When you live alone with your mother and she works a lot, you have to do things that children don't do, you have to be less emotional, more mature and more rational."

Your coaches praise your versatility. Are you also comfortable in central defence?
"My position has always been defensive midfielder, but as I've said many times before, there are times when the coaches didn't have any other options and had to play me at centre-back. I had already played in this position before arriving at PSG. It's a position I know well and I adapt well. I did it at Roda, at Maritimo, at Porto and then here..."

How do you adapt your game when you move to central defence?
"Sometimes it's not easy. When you know you're going to play as a central defender, you have time to prepare yourself, but sometimes I start the game as a defensive midfielder and then I have to move back. There, you have to change your mentality, and also your way of playing. The movements are not the same - it's a bit difficult - but I adapt."

How did you get into Sunday's match in Marseille, without a warm-up, after Kimpembe's injury?
"I was upset by his injury because Presnel is a friend I like a lot; he has helped me a lot since I arrived here, so I really felt for him. It's complicated to come on like that, without a warm-up, but I'm prepared for any eventuality, and in this case I was ready even without a warm-up. I was already fired up because it was a Classique [laughs]!"

'We knew that everything could change in one match'

Do you think that the team got back on track at the Classique?
"I'm happy, OM had eliminated us in the Cup (2-1), and it was a tough blow for us. To go there and win a Classique 3-0 was important, because we have big games coming up. And now we're eight points clear at the top of the league."

Was the match against LOSC the turning point?
"Yes, because I have a friend who told me that some fans left the stadium before the end of the game, and Messi's goal [to make it 4-3 in the last second]. We sent out a message that the game is never over until the referee blows the whistle. That gave us confidence, confidence among ourselves and for the fans too. Many of them were with us, after Marseille it was wonderful when we arrived at the airport, the strength that their welcome gave us. We knew that we couldn't stay like that, at this level. We knew that everything could change in one match."

We can see that you talk a lot to your teammates during the game...
"Yes [laughs], on the pitch I talk a lot, but in my life I don't talk much, I try to be as discreet as possible. But on the pitch, I behave differently because I like to win, and if I can help someone and give my opinion on something, I will give it, without worrying about who I am talking to."

- Danilo Pereira was speaking to AFP