Bernardo Silva believes if Manchester City beat Chelsea in the Carabao Cup final and retain a trophy for the first time their quest to be serial winners will be advanced.
City won the cup by beating Arsenal 3-0 in last season’s final. It was the club’s 15th major trophy and became part of a third double when Pep Guardiola’s side secured the Premier League title in April. The Portuguese midfielder acknowledged it is important to start winning the same competitions two years in a row, starting at Wembley on Sunday.
“It would mean a lot for the history of the club,” he said. “That is one our main goals: not only winning it once but keep winning and winning. We know we have the squad to do that but our opponents are very strong and it won’t be an easy job.”
City beat Chelsea 6-0 at the Etihad Stadium in the league two weeks ago. “We should forget that match because it won’t happen again,” Silva said. “We are not expecting the same result. We are playing against one of the best sides in the world, even though lately their results are not the best for them. Against those kind of players you can never relax and if you give them time to think, time to play and time to decide [what to do], they will destroy you. So we have to play with the same intensity.”
Silva added that City’s last-gasp 3-2 win over Schalke in the Champions League served as a warning for next month’s return with the German club. “I think we know how good the teams are in the Champions League,” he said. “You know you are playing against the best teams, the best players and the best crowds, so we were not expecting an easy game and that’s what happened.
“We are very happy with the result and now with our fans we want to finish the job and go through to the quarter-finals.”