Rodri feels Manchester City can use the pain of their Champions League final defeat last season to make them stronger as this year's knockout stage begins.
City overcame their quarter-final demons last year by reaching the final in Porto, but were beaten by Chelsea in disappointing fashion. Now, they are back in Portugal as they head to Lisbon to face Sporting in this year's last-16 first leg on Tuesday.
City topped their group, which included Paris Saint-Germain, to set up the clash, and Rodri feels their experiences over the last 12 months in Europe will make them stronger ahead of the knockout stages this season.
“I think we are a much better side now because we have the experience,” he said.
“We didn't have that experience in this kind of situation before, most of the players hadn't played a semi-final or a final in the competition.
“Now, we have reached those stages and we know the feeling. Football isn't always about quality. We are all human and when we arrive at those situations, the pressure is high and we must deal with it.
“Now, we have the experience, I think we are more complete as a team.”
Looking to the Sporting games, Rodri said City are well aware that they must be at their best to get a result, and must not be complacent.
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He said: “The Champions League is always the same. We now face Sporting Lisbon, they are going to be a tough side, like always.
“We hope we can get a good result in the first game and then face the second leg at home with an advantage. It's always open. It's always the same thing; in the Champions League, anything can happen.
“I like to focus on ourselves, the way we are developing this season, the way we are improving since we started. We know this is the most important part of the season, the second half of the season, and we have learned about the previous years.
“We can't do great for 75 per cent of the season and then drop until the end. You need to be at 100 per cent until the end. We are focused on that goal.”
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