Wahbi Khazri : "We're stronger with our fans"

In hindsight, what is your analysis of your defeat suffered in Marseille?

The match wasn’t easy to accept because we weren’t at our peak level of performance. We felt that we didn’t play this match. We let in two goals due to dead ball situations and we didn’t see the Saint-Étienne that was capable of tackling Paris or Lyon. We were harmless. It wasn’t a real match for us, we facilitated Marseille’s victory.

Have you swallowed this defeat?

We’re conscious that we didn’t demonstrate all the necessary qualities to win this match, but we mustn’t question everything because of one defeat. We just completed a week full of physical work in order to catch up Sunday in front of our fans because that will be a whole other match. We’re stronger with our fans.

Why do the top ranked teams not succeed in the Cauldron?

We still beat Marseille in the first leg of the championship and I think we’re just as good as Lyon in regards of the two maches. The most important thing is to be where we should be after the 38th match. ASSE still has a statement to make.

Are you surprised by Lille’s journey?

We were expecting other teams to be in their place but if they’re where they are after 29 matches that means they have great qualities. It’s a great team, very well armed offensively and solid defensively. They’re undefeated in 2019, that’s not an accident.

Will the match against LOSC in the Cauldron be decisive towards earning a qualification for the European Cup?

It will be an important match but there are still 30 points to take from now until the end of the season. We’ll have to above all redeem ourselves for our match against OM in front of our fans. And, as I said before our trip to Marseille, we can neither make too much out of a single defeat, nor get carried away when we win.