Garcia determined to help Marseille win 2nd European trophy

Posted May 15, 2018 7:00 am

By JEROME PUGMIRE

FILE - In this Tuesday, Jan. 16, 2018 file photo, Marseille's coach Rudi Garcia directs his players during the League One soccer match between Marseille and Strasbourg, at the Velodrome stadium, in Marseille, southern France. Marseille will play Atletico Madrid in the Europa League final on Wednesday May 16, 2018. Marseille now enjoys significant financial backing and the time is right to stop harping on about past glory and deliver another trophy. Atletico is bidding to win the Europa League for the third time this decade. (AP Photo/Claude Paris, File) The Associated Press

LYON, France (AP) - Marseille coach Rudi Garcia is determined to help Marseille continue what he calls its "fantastic love affair" with European football.

Marseille remains the only French side to win the Champions League, back in 1993, and will be playing in its fifth European final when they take on Atletico Madrid for the Europa League trophy on Wednesday.

"This year we're celebrating the 25th anniversary of being the first French side to win the Champions League. Now we have a fantastic chance to become the first to win the Europa League," Garcia said Tuesday at a news conference. "We're lucky to be at Marseille, a club which has a fantastic love affair with Europe dating back to the 1990s."

Marseille reached its first European final in 1991 when it lost the then-European Cup title game on penalties to Red Star Belgrade, at a time when it was owned by the exuberant Bernard Tapie and had the clout to attract some of the best players in the world.

"Today we can go down in history and leave an even bigger mark on this club," Marseille midfielder Dimitri Payet said. "I think the expectation level in Marseille and across the country is extraordinary and our motivation comes from that."

Marseille also lost UEFA Cup finals - as the Europa League was formerly known - in 1999 and 2004.

But the balance is considerably in Atletico's favor now. Atletico boasts far more seasoned players than Marseille, having won the Europa League in 2010 and 2012 and losing the Champions League final to Real Madrid in 2014 and 2016.

"We know experience is on their side. They came into the competition from the Champions League and we came through the Europa League playoffs," Garcia said. "We have more young players who aren't used to these big occasions. It's better to stay calm and not to play the match in our heads ahead of time."

Garcia is urging his players to forget Atletico's tag as favorites, and seize the moment.

"Maybe our salvation tomorrow will be that everything comes down to one match," he said. "It's been shown before that anything's possible."

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Jerome Pugmire on Twitter: www.twitter.com/jeromepugmire

Olympique Marseille's KonstantÃnos MÃtroglou, centre left, speaks with Bouna Sarr, as they train at the Groupama stadium in Decines, outside Lyon, central France, Tuesday, May 15, 2018. Marseille will play Atletico Madrid in the Europa League final on Wednesday. (AP Photo/Laurent Cipriani) The Associated Press

Atletico Madrid's Antoine Griezmann passes the ball during a training session at the Groupama stadium in Decines, outside Lyon, central France, Tuesday May 15, 2018. Atletico Madrid will play Marseille in the Europa League final on Wednesday. (AP Photo/Laurent Cipriani) The Associated Press

Atletico de Madrid head coach Diego Simeone, reacts during a press conference in Lyon, central France, Tuesday May, 15, 2018 ahead of the the UEFA Europa League Final against Olympique Marseille. (UEFA, Pool via AP) The Associated Press

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