Ruben Dias has warned his Manchester City team-mates they will “kill” their Treble hopes if they look beyond the FA Cup final.
City face local rivals United at Wembley, where victory will give them the chance to emulate their 1999 Treble, when they face Inter Milan in the Champions League final. Pep Guardiola's side stand on the brink of history, with the City boss having already described their situation as potentially a “once in a lifetime opportunity”.
But City defender Dias said Guardiola's players will come unstuck if they allow their minds to wander to the Champions League final, rather than focusing on how to beat United.
“We’ve not done anything yet,” said Dias. “We definitely know what we’re going for and we really want it.
“But we know if we start to think too far ahead, then it will kill us. Our heads are on training. Little by little, we think. Just think and do it.
“Our best chance of beating United is just by being Manchester City. It’ll be a tight game. A final is a final, it’ll always be tight whatever the odds.
“It’s a special competition for all of us and a special competition for the country. We want to win it very much.”
Although City trounced United 6-3 at home at the start of the season, Erik ten Hag's side got their revenge with a 2-1 win at Old Trafford in the return fixture.
Dias claimed both sides can learn from those encounters, but said City will go out to impose themselves on United from the start, rather than trying to nullify Ten Hag's side.
“Those points of reference will be important, but it’s a new game and a final is always different,” said Dias.
“It’s about being who we are. We’ve played them, we know their strong points and weak points.
“United have many threats and we know them well. We know who can be dangerous and how they can be dangerous.
“In the end, it’ll be about knowing them the best we can, but most of all knowing ourselves and being the very best version of ourselves.
“The demand is always very high. It starts mainly from the manager and the demand is always there.
“No matter what we do, individually or as a team, we’ll be asked for more and more.”
Although City have won five of the last six Premier League titles under Guardiola, including three in a row, Dias said their players never tire of winning trophies.
The FA Cup may not be as high on their target list as the Premier League and Champions League, but Dias said City's players cannot bear the thought of losing.
“It’s one of the biggest competitions,” said Dias. “The moment you start losing that fire, that spice for winning trophies, then you’re not doing anything at this club.
“My passion is still there. We really want to win it again.”
Dias missed City's last three games through injury, but is back training and ready to play. “I’m on fire,” he said. I’m feeling good and I’ve trained with the team.”
Asked how it would feel to do the Double and be one win from the Treble, Dias said: “Of course it’s a great achievement.
“We’ll celebrate it if we do it and then we’ll think about what's coming, because we're still not finished. The biggest game is the next one and the next one is United.”
