Man City star Bernardo Silva has said that Real Madrid could not be written off despite his side’s strong position in the Champions League last-16 tie.
Man City beat Madrid 2-1 in a surprise victory at the Santiago Bernabeu in the first leg of their round-of-16 tie in February.
Despite the coronavirus outbreak, officials are reportedly hopeful that the Champions League can return in August.
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Following Man City’s good position, Silva is wary of Madrid, who have won three of the past four Champions League titles.
“You can’t write any team off, far less Madrid who have won 13 European Cups,” the midfielder told AS.
“No one else has the experience Madrid’s players have in this competition, so we can’t think we’ve already beaten them.”
Silva added: “It’s all very open. When you play a side like Madrid nothing is ever certain. We’ve seen a lot of ties in the last few years get turned around. Look at Barca last year, beating Liverpool 3-0 and then losing 4-0. You never know.
“It’s a good result and we’re in a great position to go through to the quarter-finals. It’s a tough match and we’ll need to play well and maintain our concentration.”
First leg heroics! ⚡️
🔵 #ManCity #UCL pic.twitter.com/hcJoIpF0sB
— Manchester City (@ManCity) March 1, 2020
Despite winning the past two Premier League titles amid numerous other domestic honours, Man City are eyeing a first Champions League crown.
Silva mentioned that Pep Guardiola’s men were eager to claim the Champions League for the first time.
“In the last three years we’ve won everything in England, last season we won all four English titles, this year we’ve won the Super Cup and the League Cup, we’re still in the FA Cup and we want to win that,” he said.
“But the Champions League is the title the club, the players and Pep in England want to win. We know it’s a tough tournament, but we’ll fight for it.”