Slovan Liberec vs Marseille - Abdelaziz Barrada: Marseille not feeling the pressure
Posted Thursday, December 10, 2015 by PA
Marseille midfielder Abdelaziz Barrada insists the French outfit are not feeling under pressure ahead of Thursday's crunch Europa League Group F match at Slovan Liberec.
OM will only surrender the runner-up spot they currently occupy in the pool and last-32 qualification to their third-placed Czech hosts if they are beaten in the match.
They succumbed to a surprise 1-0 home defeat to Slovan the last time the two sides met, in the reverse fixture in October, but Barrada, quoted by L'Equipe, said: "We are very relaxed.
"We are committed to qualifying for the next round. We are very excited to begin this game and win it.
"They will want to do their best against us but I do not feel any particular pressure.
"We will approach this game like any other."
While Morocco international Barrada says Marseille - who can win the group if they claim all three points and leaders Braga lose at Groningen - are relaxed, Slovan midfielder David Pavelka has appeared to do his best to turn up the heat on the Ligue 1 team.
Pavelka says the Czechs are surprised Marseille have not managed to qualify yet and has suggested Slovan have the greater team ethic of the two sides.
He also says Slovan are determined to improve on their performance in the initial encounter.
Quoted by Marseille's official website, Pavelka said: "We are surprised that Marseille have not yet qualified - and this is a very good surprise for us.
"Our strength is our collective play. Each player fights for the others. At OM, players are more individualistic.
"In the first game, we had trouble even though we managed to win by scoring a goal on one of our rare occasions.
"We want to show another face tomorrow in front of our audience, taking the game to them a little more.
"We will play at our best, we know what awaits us, and we hope that the result of the game is in our favour."
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