‘Trophy quest is our motivation – we want a legacy’ says Silva
Bernardo Silva believes Manchester City’s attempt to claim a historic second consecutive treble and become arguably the greatest club team of all time is “an inspiration”, with the team a possible 12 matches from achieving the feat.
City face Real Madrid in tonight’s Champions League quarter-final second leg with the tie poised at 3-3 after last week’s match at the Bernabéu.
City lead the Premier League by two points from Arsenal and Liverpool with six games left of the campaign. On Saturday they play Chelsea at Wembley in their FA Cup semi-final.
Silva was asked if the chance to become the greatest ever side by winning a second treble in successive years can inspire them. “Of course – [it is] obviously an inspiration and motivation,” the midfielder said. “We know how well this team has done and we want to create that legacy and to do another Premier League to do six in seven years and four in a row. And we want to win the Champions League to do two in a row that only Madrid [who] did three in a row have done but no one else won four consecutive Premier Leagues.”
He added: “And if we win two trebles in a row that would be legacy [but] in one week we could be out of all the competitions but we are fighting for it.”
In last season’s semi-final first leg City drew 1-1 in Madrid before two goals from Silva set them on the way to routing Carlo Ancelotti’s team 4-0 at the Etihad in the return, a display Pep Guardiola described as the highest point of his tenure.
City’s captain, Kyle Walker, missed the first leg with a hamstring injury and faces a fitness test for tonight. Guardiola said: “He [has] trained good, he feels something but he feels good with his mood. I don’t know from the beginning or from the bench but I think he will be with us.”
Harry Kane admits Bayern Munich’s underperforming stars must “step up and be counted” against Arsenal, which offers hope of rescuing a potentially trophyless season.
Bayern start as favourites tonight after last week’s 2-2 draw and Kane believes it is time for the six-time continental champions to make their experience count.
“If you look at our performances this year there has been a different type of performance in the Champions League,” he said. “I feel like we have maybe been together more, willing to do more on the pitch defensively and in other aspects.
“It’s a time to raise our game, time for me and the players who have been in big pressure situations to step up and be counted. There’s a lot of expectation but I think there is a good belief in the squad that we can achieve something tomorrow.”
After reaching the final with Spurs in 2019, ultimately drawing a blank as his former employers were beaten by Liverpool, he feels a sense of unfinished business in Europe’s elite tournament.
“Whenever you reach the final of a competition and don’t quite get over the line there’s always that burning fire inside you to get back there and go that one step further,” he said. “We have an opportunity this year and if we can take that step tomorrow night then we’re only a couple of games away from trying to get to Wembley.”
Kane’s own record for Bayern is beyond reproach. He has scored 39 goals in all competitions, the most recent a penalty at the Emirates last Tuesday. Injuries to Serge Gnabry and Kingsley Coman, as well as Alphonso Davies’s suspension, will cut off some of his supply line but negotiating those problems would give them a chance of transforming their campaign.
“I don’t think it’s as harsh as that,” Kane said when asked whether falling short would make his season a failure. “There are a lot of things that go into it but the main thing for us right now is that we still have an opportunity to turn the season into a great season if we win the Champions League.”
The Bayern manager, Thomas Tuchel, gave his team’s prospects a lift when he said Leroy Sané, who had been a doubt, will be fit to play.