Bernardo Silva will leave Manchester City at the end of the season and a problem will emerge for the Blues soon

Despite claims to the contrary, Pep Guardiola has completed several successful rebuilds during his time at Manchester City. The Blues were guilty of not refreshing enough last season but this year, we have seen signs of City moulding into a new team to challenge across the board for seasons to come.

That regeneration was shown by the activity in the last two transfer windows. Gianluigi Donnarumma, Rayan Ait-Nouri, Tijjani Reijnders and Rayan Cherki began the wave of fresh talent before Marc Guehi and Antoine Semenyo joined the party in one of the most impressive January transfer windows in recent history.

Kevin De Bruyne’s departure was confirmed at the end of last season with Ederson, Kyle Walker and Ilkay Gundogan exiting with him. The quartet made up a huge chunk of the experience in the City dressing room. Their exits left the leadership group thin on the ground.

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City readjusted though with Bernardo Silva named captain, Rodri, Ruben Dias and Erling Haaland becoming the vice captains while the likes of John Stones remained a strong voice in the dressing room. Heading into next season, the Blues could have just two of those players remaining on their books. Bernardo will leave after Pep Lijnders confirmed his farewell on Saturday.

Stones will more than likely follow suit and Rodri’s flirtation with Real Madrid during the international break may not have confirmed his departure this summer, but at least set the countdown for his eventual exit. Remaining will be Haaland and Dias. The latter will likely take the armband and City will need new names in the leadership group.

Guehi and Donnarumma have captaincy experience with Crystal Palace and Italy respectively. However, the duo only signed this season and a promotion into the leadership group may be too much, too soon.

You would want Phil Foden to be knocking on the door of that responsibility by now. But, this season has not panned out the way he wanted it to and, with his contract expiring in 2027, remarkably we don’t know for certain where his future lies.

Losing experienced heads in the dressing room is a major problem for City. If you look at Arsenal, they should be flying towards their first Premier League title since 2004 and a first trophy, barring Community Shields, since the 2019/20 season.

And yet, when these big occasions to win silverware arrive, they struggle to get over the line. When City beat the Gunners in the Carabao Cup final, it was a prime example of how important it is to have players who have been there and done it.

That Wembley win has done wonders for City’s confidence, as shown on Saturday, but this new group of players are not ready to go it alone just yet. They still need those wiser heads to guide them.

Bernardo leaving in the summer has created a hole in the leadership group that City can fill, for now. But, between now and the summer of 2027, the Blues must hope players like Guehi and Donnarumma are ready to step up and be the role models for the next generation of stars.

You cannot buy experience at an elite level, it is only with learned experiences that a team reaches the dominant heights City want to achieve.

Bernardo Silva will leave Manchester City in the summer when his contract expires and he will have plenty of suitors

Bernardo Silva’s time at Manchester City is coming to an end. The Blues skipper is set to depart in the summer when his contract expires. It’s a move that has been expected but one that was confirmed by City assistant boss Pep Lijnders when speaking after the FA Cup victory over Liverpool on Sunday.

Pep Guardiola will likely expand on Silva’s future and legacy when he faces the media on Friday ahead of the Premier League trip to Chelsea on Sunday.

The Etihad boss is a huge fan of Silva and knows the difficulty the Blues will have in replacing not just the player but the person with the Portugal international’s leadership and standard-setting two values that are highly regarded at City.

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For Bernardo, he is now into the final few weeks of his City career and will then head to the World Cup with Portugal. Where he is playing his club football next season remains to be seen but he won’t be short of options.

Serie A side Juventus are keen on the 31-year-old, although it remains to be seen if the Italians could make a deal work financially. Barcelona are long-term admirers of Silva but have had cashflow problems of their own in recent years.

Both clubs would be able to allow Silva to continue to operate at the top table domestically and in Europe with the pair both Champions League regulars.

Silva has long spoken about a desire to return to former club Benfica but feels this summer would be too soon for a return to his homeland and would likely come further down the line.

A number of other European clubs would likely be keen on the midfielder, who will depart the Premier League after nine years with City and countless trophies.

Further afield, he will have his suitors in America with MLS side Inter Miami – home to Lionel Messi – perhaps a predictable link that has already emerged. That move would be a difficult one to achieve financially but other sides across the Atlantic will certainly be interested in Silva.

It’s a similar situation in the Saudi Pro League. His Portugal teammates Cristiano Ronaldo, João Félix and Rúben Neves all play in Saudi Arabia and a reunion with Ronaldo at Al-Nassr has also been floated. But any such deal would require an exit because the club’s allocation of 10 foreign players is already full.

Wherever Silva ends up next season he will be missed at City.

Manchester City assistant Pep Lijnders confirmed this weekend that Bernardo Silva would be leaving the club at the end of his contract.

Manchester City fans had braced themselves for Bernardo Silva’s departure this summer and now the news has been confirmed. The 31-year-old has been ever-present for the Blues, making 450 appearances and counting for Pep Guardiola’s men.

All of those appearances have come under Guardiola and his assistant Pep Lijnders admitted replacing the 31-year-old would be impossible. “You never replace a player with the same kind of player because they don’t exist. Bernardo Silva is unique,” he explained. “The way he controls games, the way he moves, the way he receives, the way he leads, the way he sees the solutions.

“All these things. You never search for a replacement of one type of player. You search for what is needed to grow with the team and somebody who can fit in the first XI.”

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City will still need to sign at least one midfielder to fill the gap left behind by Bernardo. MEN Sport has taken a look at three options the Blues could look at to replace their captain.

Leon Goretzka – Bayern Munich

The Germany international joined Bayern two years after Guardiola left the Bundesliga. He has been integral as the Bavarian club continued to dominate Germany. Goretzka is the same age as Bernardo and would add experience to a relatively young side next season.

His style is similar to Bernardo’s. Goretzka wants to carry the ball forward and, like Bernardo, wants to play forward passes at every given opportunity.

Goretzka would also be free, having agreed to leave Bayern at the end of his contract. The risk for City is that he has not played as many minutes as Bernardo this season and has never played outside of Germany.

The Bundesliga is one of the most physical divisions outside the Premier League so that could play to his favour. But City would need him to play more games if he is to be a credible Bernardo replacement.

Sandro Tonali – Newcastle United

If Newcastle miss out on the Champions League football, it is difficult to see them keeping Tonali. At 25, the Italian is entering the prime of his career and is more than good enough to play for one of the top teams.

Tonali has mainly been used as a defensive midfielder this season but has the attributes to play alongside a holding player like Rodri. He doesn’t carry the ball as much as Bernardo but a large part of that is due to playing deeper in Eddie Howe’s system.

Like Bernardo, he is trying to make forward passes when he gets the ball and Guardiola could turn him into a replacement for the captain. The trouble for City will be his price tag.

Newcastle CEO David Hopkinson insisted last week that clubs would need to play by their terms in the transfer market, but fell short of communicating a price tag for Tonali. Whether City would want to pay £80m plus for the Italy international remains to be seen.

Elliot Anderson – Nottingham Forest

Anderson could be a very wise investment if Forest are relegated this season. The former Newcastle midfielder has enjoyed a stellar campaign despite Forest’s struggles and is almost guaranteed to be leaving the East Midlands in the summer.

Like Bernardo, Anderson’s strengths are progressive and forward passes. However, he also wins a high percentage of duels and wins back possession considerably more than the current City captain.

At 23, he is also the youngest option on the list, but he does not lack experience. One area where he struggles compared to Bernardo is carrying the ball forward but this could be worked on.

If Forest avoid relegation, they will want £100m for Anderson. That is a hefty sum but the England international would add a new dimension to City’s midfield.

A Portuguese midfielder and club captain is leaving Manchester this summer, but while Bernardo Silva says his Etihad farewells, Man Utd will hope Bruno Fernandes hangs around a little longer.

When Bruno Fernandes was weighing up interest from Manchester United in late 2019, he asked an international teammate all about life in the city. At that stage, Bernardo Silva had been here for a couple of years.

Silva’s views on Manchester after his 2017 move to the Etihad helped convince Fernandes to join United from Sporting in January 2020 and both have gone on to make a sizeable impact in the city they now call home.

They are captains of their respective clubs and will go down as legendary figures. Silva, 31, will say his goodbyes to the Etihad this season, with City assistant Pep Lijnders confirming the midfielder is off to seek a new challenge at the end of the current campaign.

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It’s not impossible that there is a Portuguese goodbye at Old Trafford as well, but United are desperate for Fernandes to stay. He is only a month younger than his compatriot, but while Silva has won it all at City, there is more than a bit of unfinished business for Fernandes.

These are the contrasts that mean the thought processes are coming from two very different perspectives. While Silva wants a new challenge after ticking every box in blue, Fernandes can hear the clock ticking and might be tempted to start collecting the kind of medals his career deserves.

The pair have been friends since their days together in Portugal’s Under-19 set-up, though their similar personalities have led to the odd moment of friction on derby day. They are both incredibly driven and willing to push the line, at the very least, to earn their side an advantage. There is a reason that Fernandes named Silva as the most annoying player in the Premier League last year, while accepting he would collect a fair few votes in that category as well.

Silva will be a big miss for City. When Pep Guardiola talks about someone the way he talks about Silva, then you know you are a serious footballer. His ability to understand and deliver a game plan is phenomenal, and he is arguably the most tactically intelligent footballer in the Premier League. But City have other world-class footballers and their record in replacing departing greats has been good in recent years.

The qualities that make Fernandes so important at Old Trafford are more visceral. The numbers speak for themselves. He isn’t always as involved in games as Silva is; he isn’t as all-action, but when United need a moment, it is almost always Fernandes who delivers it.

They are certainly two of the greatest Portuguese players to play in the Premier League. Silva’s next appearance in the competition will be his 297th, taking him past Luis Boa Morte as Portugal’s leading appearance-maker in the competition. Fernandes is 73 behind and if he sticks with it at United, he could yet get close to it himself.

But it’s hard to argue against the fact that Silva’s time in Manchester has been more fulfilling. Six Premier League titles, a Champions League, five League Cups and two FA Cups make for a very impressive palmares.

Fernandes might have the double of 100 goals and 100 assists. He now has six Premier League player of the month awards, one shy of the all-time record. But he has only a League Cup and an FA Cup medal. He has played in just one Champions League knockout tie for United.

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For a player of his quality, and for the level of performances he has delivered, that is not enough. If Silva can walk away from Manchester City with no regrets, Fernandes would be saying goodbye to Manchester United with plenty at the moment.

Perhaps that will be enough for him to stick around. United look to be heading in a positive direction and having given his prime years to Old Trafford, Fernandes might want to see it through. But if standards slip again, he could be left high and dry without the medals he warrants. That will come into his thinking.

This summer, Silva and Fernandes will be part of the Portugal midfield as they seek their first-ever World Cup. The quality of their team suggests they have a chance in North America.

But around that tournament, while Silva’s future is now clear, Fernandes will be weighing up his next move without the contentment that his compatriot can feel from his time in Manchester.

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Manchester City captain Bernardo Silva has been wished a ‘good farewell’ by assistant Pep Lijnders as he nears the end of his contract.

Bernardo Silva is set to leave Manchester City this summer when his contract expires. Assistant manager Pep Lijnders told fans to savour the ‘last six weeks’ of a phenomenal nine years at the Etihad.

Silva revealed back in October that he already knew what his future held beyond this season, but that it wasn’t the time to announce it. There have still not been any official statements from the player or the club, but Lijnders was clear after the 4-0 win over Liverpool when he was asked about Silva’s irreplaceable quality.

“You never replace a player with the same kind of player because they don’t exist. Bernardo Silva is unique,” the City assistant said. “The way he controls games, the way he moves, the way he receives, the way he leads, the way he sees the solutions. All these things.

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“You never search for a replacement of one type of player. You search for what is needed to grow with the team and somebody who can fit in the first XI. And then you hope, with our academy, with the young players we already bought that they can make that step as well in the midfield positions.

“If you see our young boys in the academy, then they have to make that step and to grow. But the most important is that the seniors who stay for a long time, that they stay, that they stay, that they stay. That they are always there and, around that, you can move.

“But it will be hard because, as I said, in the game, when he is not playing you will see how he is missed and that’s one game. Imagine a season. But every good story comes to an end, and I hope he enjoys the last months – there are only six weeks – and has a good farewell. He deserves all that attention as well.”

Barring a dramatic U-turn, Silva will leave City as one of their most decorated and greatest ever players. The Portugal international has won six Premier Leagues, a Champions League, two FA Cups and five Carabao Cups in nine glorious years at the Etihad.

As well as being the player Pep Guardiola has used the most in his managerial career in 450 appearances for City that will see him eighth in the all-time list for the club, Silva has led by example as club captain this year to restore standards that had dropped off last season. The 31-year-old lifted the Carabao Cup at Wembley last month and could yet win the Premier League and FA Cup again this year.

He has long talked about a return to boyhood club Benfica at some point in his career, although Barcelona and Juventus are also interested in signing him on a free transfer this summer. Wherever he goes, he will forever be loved at City.

Manchester City secured their first silverware of the season after beating Arsenal 2-0 in the Carabao Cup final on Sunday

Manchester City have entered the final international break of the season with fresh optimism after beating Arsenal 2-0 in the Carabao Cup final on Sunday. The victory and the manner of it has led many to back City to catch the Gunners in what would be a superb turnaround.

Regardless of whether or not they manage it, winning the League Cup is incredibly important for this group of players as they aim to replicate the dominance of the previous Pep Guardiola generation. With a new sense of confidence and belief, City will enjoy the next few weeks.

With the season heading towards an exciting crescendo, MEN Sport has taken a look at the six winners and losers from this campaign so far.

Winners

Nico O’Reilly

This is not merely recency bias, O’Reilly has enjoyed a brilliant year for the Blues. Guardiola hailed him as the ‘signing of the season’ after the Carabao Cup final and you can see where he was coming from.

O’Reilly is the latest midfielder who has had to adapt to playing left-back but he has done so, excellently. The 21-year-old provided cover when needed but has shown he is more than just a stand-in for City.

In midfield, he has performed well despite bigger names arriving in the summer. His brace at Wembley was just rewards for an impressive campaign.

Bernardo Silva

If this is to be his final chapter, Bernardo is looking to go out on a high. The original utility player for Guardiola has led by example this season and fully deserved to lift that trophy on Sunday.

Should he leave at the end of the campaign, expect Guardiola to shed a tear like he has when the likes of Sergio Aguero and Kevin De Bruyne left. The midfielder should be held in the same high regard as those club legends.

Winning silverware this season also means Bernardo’s time at City does not end on a sour note, regardless of what happens between now and May.

Gianluigi Donnarumma

Erling Haaland’s patchy form in recent weeks means he just misses out as being the third winner on the list to Donnarumma. The Italian goalkeeper has been sensational this campaign with his performance at Anfield just one that will live long in the memory.

He arrived as the anti-Guardiola goalkeeper in many ways. While his ability to play out from the back has been understated, he was never going to be the next Ederson.

Instead, he is one of the best shot stoppers in the world and this has led him to keep another sensational goalkeeper out of the team.

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Losers

James Trafford

That other sensational goalkeeper is Trafford. Having signed from Burnley, the 23-year-old would have felt he was going to be first choice, until Donnarumma came along.

He has had to make do with a lack of games but City’s performances in the FA and Carabao Cup has given him more minutes than he perhaps would have received. As is the nature of this season, even those who have lost out have had moments to shine.

Trafford’s moment was under the arch on Sunday and nobody could have been happier for him than Guardiola and Donnarumma.

Phil Foden

After a brilliant November into December period, Foden has gone off the boil for the Blues. He has not scored since the win over Crystal Palace in December and since the Manchester derby, he has been forced into cameo roles from the bench.

This season was expected to be the response after a difficult 2024/25 where fixture congestion took its toll. But it has not quite happened for the midfielder.

He is in the England squad for this international break but there is no guarantee he will go to the World Cup if he does not, a) play more games and b) contribute more goals and assists.

John Stones

Stones has also made the England squad this month but he won’t think his spot on the plane is guaranteed either. The centre-back has had a decorated career at City despite injuries plaguing his career.

This season, a thigh issue kept him out for two months and he has struggled to find a rhythm since. It is expected he will leave at the end of this campaign and whoever snaps up the 31-year-old will be getting a brilliant defender.

But injuries have meant this season has not been the potential farewell tour he deserved.

Manchester City’s Champions League hopes are over for another year after defeat to Real Madrid in the last-16. It means the Blues’ triumph in 2023 remains their sole success in the competition

It may well have been Bernardo Silva’s final Champions League act for Manchester City – thrusting out his elbow to block a Real Madrid shot on the line.

The skipper saw red after a VAR review and trudged off the Etihad pitch knowing his side’s long odds of a stunning comeback had just got longer. In the end the task was beyond the 10 men of City and their European aspirations are over for another year.

It’s prompted the debate of whether Pep Guardiola and City should have achieved more than one Champions League victory, achieved in 2023 as part of an historic treble. For his part, Guardiola has been steadfast in his belief that the competition is incredibly difficult to win.

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Real are the only side to defend the title since 1990 and the only multiple winner in the last 12 editions. Madrid may have cracked the continental formula but few others have. Guardiola himself has three Champions League victories, second only in manager terms to Carlo Ancelotti, while City were beaten in the 2021 final by Chelsea and suffered scarcely believable exits to Tottenham in 2019 and Real in 2022.

Guardiola referenced the Real game after the midweek defeat: “The 4-3 was the most unfair result I have ever experienced in my career.

In the build-up to the second leg he was asked by Marca about a ‘culture of failure’ and the possibility that City could be out early again in the Champions League. Guardiola referenced how Real have ‘only’ won 15 European Cups out of ‘probably 100 attempts,’ and highlighted the ‘Quinta del Buitre’ team that Real had in the 1980s – one that dominated Spanish football yet failed to win the biggest European prize – as one of the best he has ever seen to make his point that failure is a matter of personal opinion.

But while the manager pointed out the context and complications competing in Europe poses, his skipper – one of the central figures of the latest early exit – was more forthright.

“I’m not happy so he’s probably not very happy,” Bernardo said when asked by Amazon Prime on the eve of the game if he felt Guardiola was content with just one Champions League victory at City. “Of course one is better than zero, and we are very happy with the one we have won, but with the team that we have and the way our team has played in the past, we should have won more.”

For Bernardo, that ship looks to have sailed, with the 31-year-old widely expected to depart in the summer. For his manager, there might be one last European dance at City.

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It remains unclear what trophies, if any, this Manchester City team are going to win under Pep Guardiola but the bar is set too high by some

13:43, 18 Mar 2026

For a long time after Manchester City’s takeover, criticising the team or the manager came at a cost. It felt like there was always at least one member of a section of the fanbase ready to bring up Gillingham or York or Wrexham.

It is always important to remember where you have been, and it is to the credit of so many Blues that they have not let success go to their head. Seeing things that some fanbases will never see involves plummeting down two divisions before a dizzying rise to the top of European football.

But some took City’s fall as a get-out-of-jail free card for anything that didn’t meet expectations as City chased trophies under Roberto Mancini and Manuel Pellegrini. Basically, you’re not allowed to feel that the team should be doing better in the Premier League or Champions League because even falling short of a new target is so much better than where the team was 15 years ago.

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Times change, though, especially when such eye-watering levels of money are involved as were with the takeover. Just as Pep Guardiola has to adapt his expectations for the squad he has, so the fans have to be guided by what is in front of them rather than what came behind.

That feels relevant again at the moment. A few weeks ago City were challenging in four competitions for just the third time in Guardiola’s 10 years at the club at this late stage of the season, and they were widely accepted to be back after struggling last season.

Now, if they lose the Carabao Cup on Sunday they will have gone out in two competitions and lost critical ground in a third. The knee-jerk reaction after Champions League and Premier League pain is that they are not back and never will be.

It is entirely personal as to how fans feel about their team, and nobody is or should be telling anyone how to feel. The reality of the players and squad has not changed this month – they are a good yet imperfect side that could win trophies this season but have shown why they are not favourites to do so against stronger teams – and it is down to individuals whether they think the group can get better or not.

What isn’t helpful though, is the relegation flip that anything this team does or does not do is held to the standard of the Treble winners. There’s an argument that the class of 2023 weren’t even the best Guardiola sides at City, but the fact that they won everything does not mean City should win everything every year.

Once again, times change. Otherwise, the players from Istanbul would be bossing European football again and showing City how silly they were to move on rather than playing for teams including Fenerbahce, Burnley, and Everton; only two from the squad of 23 could get further in the Champions League this season than City have.

City’s Treble, and the fourth consecutive league title that followed, are historic high points that are held up as some of the greatest achievements in the game. Guardiola and his new side are obviously trying to reach those levels, but it takes time and luck as well as money.

It was unfair to give post-takeover City teams a free ride simply because the club was in a much better position than it had been, and the same applies to this team compared to the Treble winners. Guardiola and his players may be able to beat Arsenal to trophies as soon as a matter of days, but if they are always going to be held up against the greatest winners that Blues have ever seen it is going to be impossible for their progress and successes to be recognised.

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola spoke about what he thinks will happen next season after another Champions League defeat

Pep Guardiola is certain that Manchester City will be better next season after they failed to make the Champions League quarter-finals for a second straight year. But the manager can still not confirm if he will be in charge to oversee the improvement with claims in the game that he will not see out the final year of his contract.

City qualified directly for the last-16 this season as a result of a top-eight finish in the first phase of the Champions League, a significant improvement on last term when they scraped into the play-off and were well beaten by Real Madrid. However, they were left ruing missed opportunities in both legs of this year’s tie with their Spanish nemesis as they crashed out with a 5-1 aggregate defeat.

Already 3-0 down from the first leg, the Blues took the game to Real early at the Etihad but effectively conceded the tie after 20 minutes when Bernardo Silva was sent off for handling Vinicius Jr’s shot in the box and the Brazilian converted the penalty that was awarded for it. Erling Haaland got City level on the night but they could not score more and Vinicius netted again in injury time to make it defeats home and away for Guardiola’s side.

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City’s manager was still proud of his side in their defeat, feeling that they were a lot closer to Real than the scoreline suggested. And while he knows that they are not as complete a team as some of the previous City sides that he has led, Guardiola reckons that they will be better next year.

“Last season I felt next season would be better and it has been, I have the feeling will be better (again),” he said. “The fact I’m saying it today after being beaten 5-1 on aggregate it doesn’t mean it’s going to happen (but) it’s my feeling because I know them, I know the quality they have but the seasons are so long and the balance of the team, of course there are many things to improve but in the end they have pride.

“Of course it’s not easy, 70, 75 minutes 10 against 11 against Real Madrid. In the end how many shots, we tried with Rayan and Jeremy and Erling, everybody made their contribution, Khusanov, everybody was absolutely there. Listen, when we are out (of the Champions League) and our position in the Premier League, still we are not a complete team, that is the reality, I’m not going to (deny it).

“I’ve been at Manchester City when we were a team in all the different aspects that define a team, and still we are not, but in terms of that we have a final on Sunday, we have the FA Cup against Liverpool here, the Premier League still to fight (for) and finish well the Premier League. Prepare good decisions for next season and next season and next season we will be back in the Champions League. That is what we have to do.”

However, when asked if he is intending to remain at City next season given he spoke of collective improvement, Guardiola rowed back and said that he will always speak of the team in the plural whether he is in charge or not because of the affinity that he has with the club.

“When I am retired in 10 years, and City are in the Champions League, I will say I will be back, because I am part of that,” he said. “Like at Barcelona and Bayern Munich, when I have been there I am part of it. I am incredibly attached to that club, that organisation because it has been one decade, and when I say we it’s because I’m part of that. I’m part of that.”

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Manchester City trail by three goals going into Tuesday’s Champions League second-leg against Real Madrid

Bernardo Silva believes Pep Guardiola shares his frustration for not winning the Champions League more with Manchester City. City’s hopes of progressing are hanging by a thread after Real Madrid ran out 3-0 winners in their Round of 16 leg last week.

The Portuguese international hopes they can expose Los Blancos’ secret to success to move into the quarter-finals. But in doing so, they will need to overcome the three-goal deficit in order to stand a chance of progression.

Under the guidance of the Catalan tactician, City earned their maiden crown when they completed a famous treble in 2023, winning the Premier League, FA Cup and Champions League. Guardiola’s side have a mountain to climb against the record holders of the competition on Tuesday. Speaking o Gabriel Clarke ahead of Prime Video’s UEFA Champions League coverage of Manchester City vs. Real Madrid, Silva revealed that he felt they should’ve had more success in Europe.

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He said: “I’m not happy so he’s probably not very happy. Of course one is better than zero, and we are very happy with the one we have won, but with the team that we have and the way our team has played in the past, we should have won more.”

Madrid have established themselves as serial winners of the competition in the modern era and on course to their European dominance, they have proved to be knockout experts.

City and their Premier League rivals, Chelsea, have previously succumbed to Real Madrid in the latter stages of the competition. Liverpool have been beaten twice in the final in the last 10 years to the Spanish giants.

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Silva highlighted Real’s three key ingredients to success but says they need the tide to turn on Tuesday. He said: “Confidence, character, personality, the little details.

“In this competition, it’s not always about the best team, or who plays better, it’s about all the little things that Madrid are really good at. We have been good in moments, and hopefully tomorrow we can turn the tide and put on a good performance.

“The higher the level, the finer the margins and those little details make all the difference.”

City are staring down the barrel of a Champions League elimination after reaching at least the quarter-finals in five out of the last six years.

Guardiola’s side will be seeking to avenge their exit in the playoff knockout last season when Madrid beat them 6-3 on aggregate.

Silva, who has become an integral figure in City’s squad since signing from AS Monaco, believes they have to go against Guardiola’s beliefs and make it a chaotic encounter with the La Liga giants.

The 31-year-old said: “The key is belief, even in minute sixty. In football a lot of things can happen, and we can create a lot, it’s happened in the past where we scored two or three goals in 10-15 minutes so we can do it.

“Sometimes I think we need to do the opposite of what Pep wants – which is a very controlled game – as tomorrow maybe a bit more of a chaotic game is needed, we need to try and create different outcomes as it’s not a normal game.”

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Manchester City have reached the UEFA Champions League round of 16 where they face Real Madrid on March 17. Fans can watch the game for free with an Amazon Prime subscription or 30-day trial.