Man City squad determined to learn from mistakes ahead of Champions League quarter-final draw

Ruben Dias says Manchester City are determined to use their previous exits in the Champions League to their advantage as they prepare to discover their route to the final.

After putting seven past RB Leipzig in the last-16 second leg to progress 8-1 on aggregate, City will discover their quarter-final opponents on Friday – in a draw that will also include the semi-finals.

City’s rout of Leipzig led to renewed discussion of their credentials as favourites for the Champions League, but Dias and defensive colleague Nathan Ake insist they cannot think beyond the quarter-final.

Part of that mindset comes from City’s experiences in the Champions League in recent years, with last year’s semi-final defeat still fresh in the memory, as well as the 2021 final defeat to Chelsea, and previous losses to Lyon, Tottenham and Liverpool in different circumstances.

“Everyone knows what we bring to the game. It’s not about other sides fearing us,” Dias said.

“We do what we have to do. We want to go through and want to win. We’ve been getting closer and working very hard. Manchester City never left. We’ve always been on our run, and we’ve been getting closer and closer.

“We’re here and once more we reach the quarter-finals. We’re getting closer to our goal. In the end, it’s not about expectations, it’s all about our ambition – we want to win but we know we need to go step by step. All that has happened in the past is not something we let be a negative, it’s about learning and being positive for what’s to come.

“We’ve been dealing with it and these moments when they come and what you have to go through. It’s learning after learning – mixed with our ambition. We will try our best again.

“Pressure is our life. It’s just another day at the office we usually say. The big moments start to come at this part of the season and for you to go through you need to win, but we like it. It’s what we are here for – for those moments and now we are through and very happy. Soon enough we’ll have another fight.”

Ake concurred, saying City’s only focus is on the quarter-final, having learned that a game-by-game approach is the only mentality to have.

He explained: “There are so many top teams in this competition, we just want to focus on whoever we get next and go from there. We don’t get carried away. We know what we have to do every game. Today was the aim to go through. We take it game by game and not look too far ahead. We want to go as far as possible in this competition.

“Every season you want to win the Champions League. We’re not going to get carried away too much. Every team left in the competition is a top team and will be tough opponents. The only thing we can do now is focus on the next one, see who we get and then go from there.

“We know every game now – in all competitions – we have pressure. We know what it is. Obviously, this is a big competition, and we want to go very far. After the international break it’s going to be full-on, but we will take it game-by-game. We’re in a good moment now – not just in the Champions League but in the league and cup, too. We want to continue like this and hopefully go very far.”