Harry Diamond
Bernardo Silva has warned Manchester City not to underestimate Lyon ahead of their ‘unpredictable’ Champions League quarter-final this weekend.
Pep Guardiola’s side face Lyon in the last eight of the Champions League as they look to progress to the semi-finals for the first time since the Spaniard’s arrival at the Etihad, and head into the clash as favourites to progress.
Lyon arrive in the quarter-finals as rank underdogs but will be in confident mood following their previous performances, the French side having been surprise victors over Italian champions Juventus in the last 16.
City also faced the Ligue 1 side in last season’s group stages and failed to win either fixture, suffering a shock defeat at the Etihad before playing out an entertaining 2-2 draw in the return in France.
Bernardo says those clashes should act as a warning to his side as they prepare for a ‘difficult’ and ‘physical’ last eight meeting, adding that the single-legged format adds a sense of unpredictability to the latter stages.
“I know Lyon very well, having played for three years in Ligue 1 where I played many times against them,” Silva told Man City’s official club website.
“Also here at Manchester City we faced them last season and it wasn’t easy. We didn’t manage to beat them in either of the two games. That shows how difficult a team they are.
“Not only Lyon, but all the French teams are very physical, very strong and in just one game, it’s unpredictable. It’s going to be very difficult. We are going to try to prepare ourselves the best way we can, but we know it’s not going to be easy.
“They knocked Juventus out of the competition and it’s not going to be an easy task for us. It’s going to be a completely different game than Real Madrid, because they both play different ways and with a different style of players.”
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