“We have little time,” De Zerbi said of his squad’s preparations, via L’Equipe. “We have to go there with humility.
“Real Madrid aren’t just anyone. But [we] also [travel] with ambition. The club has a history in this competition.
“Our shirt carries a lot of weight in the Champions League. The club, the city, the public impose ambition on us.”
Ligue 1 leaders Paris Saint-Germain visit Marseille on Sunday. “These are two important matches,” De Zerbi said of the week in store. “The season is moving forward.”
Madrid v Marseille team news
Madrid centre-back Antonio Rudiger could miss much of the rest of the year with a quad injury, while left-back Ferland Mendy is also out.
“I keep a close eye on the youth academy because it’s very close by,” manager Xabi Alonso said of losing Rudiger.
“I talk to [reserve team manager Alvaro] Arbeloa and [their players] often come up with us, but we also have players in the team who can fill that position, such as [Raul] Asencio, David [Alaba], Aurelien, and even [left-back] Alvaro [Carreras] could play.
“It’s a shame about Rudiger. I don’t know why I said [he was fine], then he got injured in training. I’ll have to stop talking.”
The good news for Alonso is that midfielder Eduardo Camavinga and forward Jude Bellingham have returned to Madrid’s squad following injuries.
Morocco defender Nayef Aguerd scored on his Marseille debut against Lorient but has not travelled because of concussion protocols.
Amine Gouiri was substituted before half-time and is a doubt with a shoulder problem but fellow forward Igor Paixao returned from injury as a substitute on Friday.
Midfielder Amine Harit joined Istanbul Basaksehir on a season-long loan last week.
Real Madrid v Marseille predicted lineups
Real Madrid starting XI: Thibaut Courtois, Dani Carvajal, Eder Militao, Dean Huijsen, Alvaro Carreras, Brahim Diaz, Aurelien Tchouameni, Arda Guler, Dani Ceballos, Vinicius Junior, Kylian Mbappe
Marseille starting XI: Jeffrey de Lange, Amir Murillo, Benjamin Pavard, Nayef Aguerd, Facundo Medina, Mason Greenwood, Angel Gomes, Bilal Nadir, Geoffrey Kondogbia, Timothy Weah, Amine Gouiri
How to watch Madrid v Marseille: Live stream, TV channel
The match kicks off at 20:00 BST (15:00 ET / 12:00 PT) on Tuesday and is being shown live in the UK on TNT Sports 1.
TNT Sports costs £29.99 a month through discovery+, which includes Eurosport and entertainment.
