Mission impossible for Real Sociedad? Beaten 2-0 at the Parc des Princes in the first leg three weeks ago, the Basques did not leave with the favor of the forecasts. Especially since Real has only won one of its last nine matches, not to mention the injuries and an elimination in the semi-finals of the Copa del Rey last week, on penalties, against Osasuna. “What do I say to those who think it’s impossible? That they don’t understand football. There were always surprises, even with more than two goals difference after the first leg. I have no doubt: if we can reproduce the first half, the team is capable of scoring and with the supporters, changing the dynamic. I know it because we showed it in Paris,” insists Imanol Alguacil, Real coach, at a press conference.
The Basque coach “knows it will be hard”, he who knows the “quality” of PSG and who “admires” Luis Enrique. “We will have to reproduce our first hour of the first leg in Paris,” he says. If we do it, if we have the opportunity to score, do it. I insist: be able to make the first hour in Paris. We must not forget who we are, where we come from, that’s how we must approach the match,” he says, who is “looking forward” to being there. Takefusa Kubo said nothing else: “Those who think it’s mission impossible? Thinking costs nothing… We’re going to play. We can’t wait to play. Everything is possible,” promises Real’s Japanese international, confident in his abilities: “If I’m having a good day, I can do anything.” On the first leg, Kang-in Lee’s former teammate in Mallorca gave Lucas Beraldo a tough time, when the Brazilian was playing on the left. We saw him less to his advantage against Lucas Hernandez afterwards…
What about the Kylian Mbappé case? Could this file represent an opportunity for Real Sociedad? “No, I do not think so. We don’t think about the players on the other team. We want to give everything and win, to be all out from the first minute,” says Kubo. “No, if he plays he will be fresh,” slips Alguacil, remembering that the world champion has not played a full match since the first leg, three weeks ago. We know his strength. If he doesn’t play, someone else will play very well. PSG only has good players… Mbappé is unique, but otherwise, he will be just as good a player.”
One thing is certain: Imanol Alguacil is “calm” remembering his team’s first hour against Paris Saint-Germain, at the Parc des Princes, before Mbappé’s goal to open the score. He repeated it several times: “We have to do what we did for an hour and we will get closer to qualifying, why not score a goal and hope for the second.” It is commonly accepted that you have to score quickly in this type of case, to make the opponent doubt. An idea that the Basque coach does not share. “Scoring early in the match is not necessarily decisive, you can score in the 70th minute. With 20 minutes to play here… The most important thing is to be active, to be together and to be able to score at any time,” he says again, counting on the support of Anoeta supporters to ignite the game. meet and help his team turn the tables. La Real will in any case have to “do better” than against Inter, with two draws in the group stage. La Real who finished first, ahead of the Interists.
