Manchester City's chances of reaching the Champions League final are strong, according to Phil Foden, who is taking encouragement from last season's trip to Real Madrid at the same stage.
City travel to Spain this week to play their Champions League semi-final first leg at the Bernabeu, looking to reach a second final in three years. They were knocked out at this stage last year by Real Madrid, winning the first leg at the Etihad but collapsing late on at the Bernabeu to allow Madrid to progress and win another European Cup.
Despite that disappointment, City know how to beat Madrid over two legs having won in style away in 2020 and then at home behind closed doors, and winger Foden says the confidence and belief in the squad is high.
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"I think [our chances are] strong, we've got to be positive. We've got to believe in ourselves. We've obviously reached the final before, so we've proven that we can get to them stages and hopefully we can just keep going in the right direction.
"Even though we lost, I love (Real) Madrid away. The atmosphere and to play in a special stadium like that. I enjoyed every moment and obviously the game didn't go how we wanted it to. But just the experience of playing in that stadium was so good."
Midfielder Rodri echoed Foden's confidence, adding that playing in the final is a personal ambition having been benched in 2021 as City lost to Chelsea in Porto.
"It's always open. I mean, chances are always there," he said. "We have to focus on ourselves, go step-by-step, don't think much on the future. But of course we need to perform well if we want to achieve (win) the Champions League.
"Of course [the dream] has to be a final of the Champions League. We had the chance to play one final, not myself, because I didn't play by the team, but I hope we have another chance in the future."
Kevin de Bruyne added: “We know the importance of some games can feel bigger than others, but the preparation always remains the same.”
The City players were speaking during Nissan's 'Away Days' web series launch, with research showing that the Bernabeu offers the best atmosphere in Europe for visiting fans, and 85 per cent of fans said watching their team play in the Champions League Final would make for the ultimate away day experience.
The research found that The Etihad Stadium ranked 12th in stadiums around the world that fans would like to go to on an away day.
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