PSG, EMERY: "BEAT THE REAL IS AN OPPORTUNITY TO GROW"

Unai Emery looks forward to the showdown with Real Madrid against PSG. He aspires to demonstrate the strength of his team.

Before the shock against Real Madrid, in the knockout stages of the Champions League, Unai Emery confided in a long interview with MARCA. The PSG coach believes that his club will be able to gauge its face against what he considers the current reference on the planet football.

The desire to win against Real Madrid

"I played games, in their context, as important as this one, although without the media importance of this Real-PSG.I am asked a lot if I feel pressure and I never apprehend this I prefer to talk about positive requirements and responsibility to prepare ourselves as well as possible for these two meetings.We will be at the center of world football and I live it with passion, as I have done all my career. 'look forward to the game, to be able to demonstrate the strength of this PSG I want to play it, to appreciate it ... and to win it ... without pressure ... confrontations like the one in Madrid in February are the proof that this step can be taken, and I see it as a natural process within a strong requirement, we have the means to make it happen, beating Real is an opportunity to grow, that's how I see it. . "

Elimination against Barça and the influence of arbitration

"This playoff has to be divided into two parts: in the first match we put a lot of goals to a big team like Barca, and at Camp Nou we did not know how to respond to that same team, but ... he there was a third variable that escapes us completely: that of arbitration. "

Sébastien Loeb has already lost more than 5 minutes in the first stage

Sébastien Loeb had problems with the brakes during the first stage of the Dakar on Saturday, and lost more than 5 minutes on the leader.

Ebastien Loeb (Peugeot) took Saturday 29th place in the first stage of the Dakar 2018, more than five minutes of the Qatari winner Nasser Al-Attiyah, due to failing brakes. "Fortunately it was only 31 kilometers!", Commented the Alsatian driver, looking for a first coronation on the famous rally-raid for his third and final participation.

"I made it without brake! Zero brake! ", He said, not knowing" where the problem came from ", knowing that no warning was lit during the preparation. "Without brakes, it's really" shit "!"

After only three kilometers of racing, Loeb had to play with his gearbox, slow down at the top of the dunes, or even "stop", to avoid the worst. In the end, he lost 5'37 "on Al-Attiyah (Toyota Gazoo), before the Sunday special, similar but nine times longer (267 km).

After his victory in Pune, the return of Gilles Simon in figures

Winner in Pune of his first tournament since February 2015, Gilles Simon is expected to win thirty places in the standings. Back in figures on this success.

Gael Monfils, titled in Doha: "Months that I waited for this moment"

Titled for the first time in his career in Doha when he had not played for four months, Gael Monfils did not dare to imagine winning his tournament. The French now turns with appetite towards the Australian Open.

MERCATO, ROGER MARTINEZ JOINS VILLARREAL

Villarreal have hired Colombian striker Roger Martinez to replace Cédric Bakambu.

After an explosion in Argentina and an experience in China, the Colombian striker Roger Martinez heads for Spain.

The 23-year-old striker signed for Villarreal this Saturday from Jiangsu Suning. He will be in charge of replacing Cédric Bakambu at the forefront of the attack on the yellow submarine. Very prolific in China, this Colombian international will thus live his first experience in a big European championship.

The duration of his contract was not communicated. The transfer fee should be around 15 million euros.

COUTINHO OFFICIALLY STRENGTHENS THE BARÇA

Philippe Coutinho officially joined Catalonia. Subject to a satisfactory medical examination, he will make a commitment to Barça.

This winter mercato warms the atmosphere. Liverpool has made Virgil van Dijk the most expensive defenseman in history with compensation of 84.5 million euros in December and has just sold his Brazilian magician Philippe Coutinho to Barca for 160 million. The two clubs concerned have just confirmed this deal. And this one will be definitively confirmed following the medical examination of the player.

THE BARÇA BUT ON THE CELTA DESPITE THE RETURN OF DEMBELE

Barça could not get rid of Celta, this Thursday in the 8th round of the Cup. But the Catalan club recorded the return to the competition of Dembélé.

1 / 8th finals go of the King's Cup

Celta Vigo-Barcelona: 1-1

Goals: Sisto (31st); A. José (15th)

105 days after his last match played and a serious injury contracted, Ousmane Dembélé reappeared on Thursday on a football field. Recovered from his physical problems, the French winger played in the last 20 minutes of Barça's match against Celta in the first knockout round of the King's Cup. A smooth entry that he could not celebrate with success. He and his teammates had to settle for a draw.

The plans of the big European clubs for the transfer window

Dembélé was incorporated by Ernesto Valverde in the 72nd minute. From the outset, the former Rennes has sought to highlight by multiplying the calls. He was often served, but he could not use the ball wisely. A little waste that we will voluntarily put on the account of a lack of competition, even a certain tension. The international tricolor still managed to create a goal opportunity. In the 78th minute, his shot down and in a firm angle was repelled by the keeper. Eight minutes later, he also had an attack to exploit, but lacking support he could not go through.

The return of Dembelé, even if it was not breathtaking, will certainly eclipse this match which will have been of an average level. With a team largely overhauled, the leader of La Liga has shown little danger. However, the goal of Arnaiz José in the 15th minute on a service of André Gomes, had launched the visitors. Finally, after this achievement, only Sergi Roberto managed to make run through a semblance of fear in the Galician defense with a shot on the transversal (62nd) and a recovery past close to the frame (91).

Celta side, we can feed regrets at the end of this tussle. The team of Juan Carlo Unzué had the means to win this match. The equalizer of the Danish Sisto, on a strong recovery after a shot from Iago Aspas on the cross, came at the heart of a strong time of the premises. And in the second half, Vigo continued to look forward in the hope of winning the bet. In the 74th minute, Emre Mor of Turkey just missed Jesper Cillessen and gave his team a third straight success against the Catalan side.