Bernardo Silva predicts three Atletico Madrid qualities for Man City to overcome
Bernardo Silva admits Manchester City don't know exactly how Atletico Madrid will approach their Champions League tie with Manchester City, although he did spell out certain aspects of their game that will test the Blues.
City welcome Atletico to the Etihad on Tuesday for the quarter-final first leg, with the return leg next week in Spain. Atletico beat Manchester United in the last round, and have a strong record in the Champions League thanks to their solid defensive work and clinical attacking capabilities.
Previewing the clash, Bernardo said while City cannot predict Atletico's exact game plan, they can prepare themselves for a tough contest both physically and tactically.
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He said: "The very honest answer is we don't know what to expect. We don't know if they're going to try to press high or low and wait for us. We know that whenever they try to press us they will be very aggressive, they won't give us much space.
"We know it will be very tight, it won't be an open game because that isn't Atletico's quality. It will be little details that will be decisive in these kind of games. We don't expect an open game."
Naming three qualities City can prepare for from their visitors, Bernardo pointed to Atletico's aggression, their countering abilities, and a contest with little space to create chances.
"Definitely a tough game," he said, adding that Atletico's style is not comparable to City's Premier League opponents who set up with a low block.
"We know Atletico. It's a team that is very used to playing this kind of games, these kind of important games where the pressure is very high. We're expecting an aggressive team on and off the
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