Bernardo Silva delivers Inter Milan verdict after Man City set up Champions League final clash

Bernardo Silva has said he is expecting a ‘tough’ game against an ‘organised’ Inter Milan side when Manchester City face the Italians in the Champions League final next month.

The sides will meet in Istanbul on 10 June after City dumped Real Madrid out of the competition in the semi-final stage by an aggregate score of 5-1. After drawing 1-1 in the Bernabeu last week, City put in a sensational performance on Wednesday to beat the European champions 4-0 at the Etihad, with Silva netting twice, while Eder Militao scored an own-goal and Julian Alvarez grabbed a late fourth.

It gives City a second opportunity at a Champions League final following the loss in 2021 to Chelsea, and the Blues are heavy favourites for the game against Inter. Despite that, Silva said it will be a tough match up against Simone Inzaghi’s side.

“I watched the game yesterday and they’re a very organised team,” the midfielder told BT Sport after the win over Madrid. “I watched the games also against Barcelona and Munich in the group stage, and Benfica, because it’s my team.

“They look very organised defensively and quick going in the counter-attack and from set-pieces. It’s going to be tough but we’re going to try it”

“It’s a beautiful night for us,” he added. “We knew it was going to be tough but to beat this Madrid team 4-0 at home it was wonderful. It’s a wonderful feeling to be in the final again and hopefully this time we can try to win it.”

Asked about his display, which saw him handed the man-of-the-match award by BT Sport, Silva said: “My performance in the first leg in Madrid wasn’t the one I wanted and I wanted to try to compensate for that because I didn’t feel very good at all after the first game. Today I had to do better for my team-mates, for the fans and that’s what I tried to do.”