Manuel Akanji sends powerful Man City message as they await Champions League draw fate
Manchester City star Manuel Akanji is still confident his side can find success in the Champions League and is not worried about facing either Real Madrid or Bayern Munich in the play-off
by John Cross · The MirrorManuel Akanji insists Manchester City still believe they can win the Champions League and beat any team in Europe.
Despite their struggles this season, Akanji says the whole dressing room believes they can repeat their European Cup success of two years ago. City will get either Real Madrid or Bayern Munich in Friday’s play-off draw and that does not worry Akanji as he says Pep Guardiola ’s men still have an aura which means no team will want to play them.
It will be either Harry Kane or Jude Bellingham up next for City and yet Akanji says they can knock either of them out. When asked whether he would prefer, City defender Akanji said: “Obviously it’s not the team you want to face but we’re ready and we’re looking forward to the challenge. I think we can beat every team in Europe.
“I don’t know what’s going on in their heads. I think we can beat every team in Europe so whoever comes, we are ready for that challenge.
"Even though we didn’t play as good as we used to, I think no team wants to face us. I still think we are one of the best teams in Europe. But we have to prove it match after match and we didn’t do it yet this year but I still think we are capable of it.”
City ended up finishing 22nd in the Champions League and only qualified for next month’s play-offs thanks to goal difference after overcoming Club Brugge in their final game of the League phase. It is quite some tumble for a team which won the trophy less than two years ago and they have also struggled badly in the Premier League and are a long way off the pace.
But Akanji insists that with the return of injured players and he says signs of some returning form against Chelsea last weekend should give them belief ahead of the title showdown at Arsenal.
Akanji said: “Happy that we make it to the playoffs. Obviously we wish we would have made it to the top eight but we couldn’t change it any more so what we had to do was win. It wasn’t easy but we did it.
“That wasn’t the way we wanted it to be but here we are right now and I’m still confident we can beat whoever comes next. That’s what we have to do now, go match by match.
"We’ve got Arsenal next. We’ve got to recover really well. It’s an important game for us. Away. It won’t be easy. But we’ve got to be ready.
“The mood in the dressing room is good. Always when you get good results, the mood is better than when you lose, obviously.
“So I hope we can keep it going. I hope we can do everything together and I hope the danger players that we have are coming back and can stay healthy and then we are going to be even better.
“We beat Chelsea at the weekend. I think Chelsea has been a really good team this year and I think it was a really good win from our side, a well deserved one, we showed a good performance.
“I still think if we give it our all and we all work together on the pitch, then I still think we are one of the best teams in Europe.”
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