Manchester City star Bernardo Silva warned Real Madrid could not be written off despite his side’s strong position in the Champions League last-16 tie.
The Premier League giants stunned Madrid 2-1 at the Santiago Bernabeu in the first leg of their Champions league tie in February.
Amid the coronavirus pandemic, officials are reportedly hoping the Champions League can return in August.
Despite City’s good position, Silva is wary of Madrid, who have won three of the past four Champions League titles.
“You can’t write any team off, far less Madrid who have won 13 European Cups,” the midfielder said.
“No one else has the experience Madrid’s players have in this competition, so we can’t think we’ve already beaten them.
“It’s all very open. When you play a side like Madrid nothing is ever certain. We’ve seen a lot of ties in the last few years get turned around. Look at Barca last year, beating Liverpool 3-0 and then losing 4-0. You never know.
“It’s a good result and we’re in a great position to go through to the quarter-finals. It’s a tough match and we’ll need to play well and maintain our concentration.”
Having won the past two English Premier League titles amid numerous other domestic honours, City are eyeing a first Champions League crown.
Silva said Pep Guardiola’s men are eager to claim the Champions League for the first time.
“In the last three years we’ve won everything in England, last season we won all four English titles, this year we’ve won the Super Cup and the League Cup, we’re still in the FA Cup and we want to win that,” he said.
“But the Champions League is the title the club, the players and Pep in England want to win. We know it’s a tough tournament, but we’ll fight for it.”
Silva recently described Guardiola as one of the best managers ever and credits the Spaniard with transforming Manchester City.
“I know my team-mates, the influence that he has since he arrived at Manchester City is huge,” the Portugal international said.
“You could see it with the results, with the titles in the last three seasons. Since I have arrived, we have won plenty of trophies.
“It is not just that, it is the way we play. We think that we make our fans enjoy the way we play – offensive football, creating chances, scoring goals, [playing] attractive football”.
