OL meet OM in a blockbuster on Sunday.
And Sage said of former Brighton manager De Zerbi: "I know De Zerbi well, I've known him for a long time. I went to Roma in 2017 to see how he played against Sassuolo and I'm happy to face him today. His former assistant, who was in charge of Nice last season, had the same ideas as Roberto De Zerbi and we managed to channel them.
"Obviously it's a satisfaction on a personal level to compete with great coaches like Mourinho, De Zerbi, Luis Enrique and so on. But what matters now is the team. Football is not boxing, it's eleven against eleven".
He added: “De Zerbi’s effect is linked to the amount of work he puts into his game model. He works both in frequency, but also in connection between frequencies, with large blocks of time on the same themes. This can have an impact. There is a balance to be found between infusing principles and bringing something new to keep the players constantly engaged.”