Manchester City want to avoid a ‘complicated’ tie with Cristiano Ronaldo in the next round of the Champions League, according to Bernardo Silva.
The Citizens thrashed Schalke 7-0 at the Etihad on Tuesday to complete a 10-2 aggregate mauling of the German side while in Turin, a Ronaldo hat-trick inspired Juventus to a 3-0 win over Atletico Madrid, overturning a first-leg deficit.
Is Ronaldo the one to avoid in the CL? Four key things to know…
- Cristiano Ronaldo has won five Champions League titles, including four of the last five.
- The 34-year-old is the highest scorer in Champions League history with 124 goals.
- He had only scored once in this season’s competition until his hat-trick sent Juve through at Atletico Madrid’s expense on Tuesday.
- Bernardo Silva has admitted he would rather avoid a ‘complicated’ tie against his compatriot.
And while Silva admits the nature of the Champions League requires you to come up against the very best, the Portugal international did express a desire to avoid his compatriot in Friday’s quarter-final draw.
“I know him, I know what he’s capable of and once again he proved it (against Atletico Madrid),” Silva said.
“When you are playing in a competition like the Champions League you have to know that you can get drawn against these kind of teams, these kind of players, and it is a good thing. It means you are playing in the best competitions.
“We will see who we are playing against but, of course, to play against Cristiano is always complicated.”
The draw for the Champions League quarter-finals takes place on Friday at 11am GMT with all four English teams getting their name into the hat.
Subscribe to Squawka’s Youtube channel here.
“He’s one of the best players in history” – Silva plays down Ronaldo comparisons
Silva has scored nine goals and provided seven assists in all competitions for City this season, while only David Silva (13) and Raheem Sterling (11) have created more big chances than the 24-year-old (10) in the Premier League for the reigning champions.
It’s this kind of form that has seen Pep Guardiola name the former Monaco man as Portugal’s biggest star, although Silva has been quick to play this down, insisting he doesn’t surpass Ronaldo’s achievements or ability.
“I think people interpreted things a little different to what he meant,” he said.
“Of course Cristiano, what he has done in over the last 15 years in football is probably one of the best players ever in the history of football, so no comparison to him.”
City travel to Swansea for their FA Cup quarter-final tie on Saturday as their hunt for the quadruple continues.
The post Bernardo Silva names the one player Man City want to avoid in the Champions League appeared first on Squawka News.
From Squawka News https://ift.tt/2O3dgTa
No comments:
Post a Comment