Marcus Thuram hoping for ‘bit of magic’ to replicate Zidane and Messi against PSG in the UEFA Champions League final

Internazionale striker Marcus Thuram is hoping for a “bit of magic” in the UEFA Champions League final akin to Lionel Messi or Zinedine Zidane when his side take on Paris Saint-Germain on Saturday.

Thuram stressed that while tactics are important, it is those individual moments of star quality which often decide games of such immense magnitude.

The Frenchman highlighted Zidane’s volley for Real Madrid against Bayer Leverkusen in the 2002 final and Messi’s header against Manchester United in 2009 as two such examples.

He told TNT Sports: “It’s going to be a great game against a great team – one of the best in the world – and I can’t wait to be on the pitch on Saturday.

“Everybody talks tactics, but you need a bit of magic and I think especially in finals, you always have something which makes a difference.

“I remember Zidane’s goal against Leverkusen or Messi’s header against Manchester [United]. There’s always one moment outside of the tactical side of the game.”

Much is made of the quality which Luis Enrique’s men boast going forward with the likes of Ousmane Dembele, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and Desire Doue.

However, the France striker believes that PSG’s defensive qualities cannot be overlooked in a team he describes as being “very balanced”.

He continued: “It’s going to be a game where the details make the difference, so that’s why we need to prepare every detail like the set-pieces.

“PSG are a team that likes to have the ball, build up, play a lot on the wings, so we have to be focused on that and I hope we can win this game.

“I think they have very good defenders like [Willian] Pacho and Marquinhos and the wing-backs, [Achraf] Hakimi and Nuno Mendes, who are really fast.

“So, they attack a lot, but are a good defensive team too. They’re very balanced and it’s going to be a hard game.”

Henrikh Mkhitaryan is eager to right the wrongs of Inter’s defeat to Manchester City in the 2023 final when they face PSG on Saturday.

City claimed a 1-0 win over Simone Inzaghi’s side in Istanbul two years ago, and Mkhitaryan is determined to make that final crucial step in Bavaria this weekend.

He said: “After the last time being in a final, we have another one to play and we’re looking forward to it. Obviously, we want to win this time.”

“It’s not going to be easy, we know Paris Saint-Germain is a good team, but we’re going to try to do our best.”

Inter dispatched Bayern Munich and Barcelona in the quarter-finals and semi-finals respectively, and the 36-year-old admits that The Nerazzurri have risen to the occasion of playing the continent’s best.

“The harder the opponent, the better it is for us,” he explained.

“Those are the games you have to be well-prepared mentally, being focused for the whole game. It happened against Bayern Munich and Barcelona, and I hope it will happen against Paris Saint-Germain.”