Bernardo Silva: We don’t fear Real Madrid

Manchester City star Bernardo Silva has sent a warning to Real Madrid ahead of their Champions League semi-final clash on Tuesday. The Portuguese midfielder said that City do not fear the Spanish giants, who are the reigning champions of Europe.

READ: Can Real Madrid pass City’s defensive line?

Silva, who came off the bench in City’s 2-1 win over Leeds on Saturday, said that City have learned from their painful defeat to Real Madrid last season, when they lost 6-5 on aggregate after a dramatic second leg at the Santiago Bernabeu.

“We have a lot of respect for them, yes, but not any fear at all,” Silva said. “Why should we fear them? We’ll try to keep the momentum we’ve built over two months to arrive very confident to beat them, knowing they won the Champions League last season for a reason.”

Silva added that City are not intimidated by the history and prestige of Real Madrid, who have won the Champions League 13 times, more than any other club. He said that City are focused on their own strengths and ambitions.

“It’s not about the shielf, it’s never about the shielf. It’s about the players that are on the pitch. If Madrid didn’t have (Luka) Modric, (Toni) Kroos, Vinicius, Benzema - I could say all of them - they wouldn’t win anything because the shirt doesn’t do it on its own,” he said.

“We’d be stupid not to respect them but we have that goal knowing we lost last year in tough circumstances. This time we will try to make it different.”

City are in a superb form this season, and are on the verge of clinching the Premier League title.

Silva said that City are motivated to achieve a historic treble by winning the Champions League for the first time in their history. He said that City have a great chance to make history this season.

“We are very confident. We know we have a great team and a great manager. We have been playing very well and scoring a lot of goals. We have been solid defensively as well,” he said.

“We know it’s not easy to win the Champions League but we have a great opportunity this season and we want to take it.”

City will face Real Madrid at the Bernabeu on Tuesday for the first leg of their semi-final tie.