Selection issues have complicated the build-up, with star winger Bukayo Saka officially ruled out due to a persistent Achilles problem. While captain Martin Odegaard and Jurrien Timber face late fitness tests, the absence of Saka leaves a significant void on the right flank.
"Bukayo is out, that's for sure," he said. "He's just starting to do some stuff, so let's see that progression, how quickly we can go through it, and then wait, but at the moment it's not about that."
"We’ve had to cope with that [injuries] all season and if you look back at the stages and the players that we've missed for big, big, big periods and where we are, it's not normal where we are. But we have coped with that because of our mentality and the solutions that we find, the way the players have stepped up in this moment. And we are where we are. We are still very strong and we will remain the same way."