Treble-chasing Manchester City ace Rodri is reg for their final exam this season.
With the Premier League and FA Cup double completed, the Spanish midfielder and his teammates head to Istanbul this weekend to take on Inter Milan for the Champions League title.
And the 26-year-old defensive midfield yster says now is the time to man up if they are to get hold of the one trophy that has eluded coach Pep Guardiola’s manne.
Istanbul awaits! 🇹![CDATA[]]>🇷 pic.twitter.com/tDH5LIhf4D
— Manchester City (@ManCity) June 5, 2023
With the ultimate prize up for grabs, he says: “Pep said you will not be ‘big, big’ if you don’t win in Europe.
“It’s the exam we have to pass again.
“It’s another final and we are ready. I’m going to push the guys to be ourselves, be confident, try our best and fight for the final.”
Rodri has been instrumental in keeping City solid as they demolish opponents with the likes of Kevin de Bruyne, Ilkay Gundogan and Erling Haaland in devastating form.
But having lost to Chelsea in the Porto decider two seasons ago, City are not writing off Inter’s threat.
Rodri adds: “We have not been focusing on it too much but of course it is there, something we dream about. Inter are a tough team, with five at the back.
“They are in the final too.
“We have tried to learn a lot from the past.
“We try to solve the situations, as we did with the way we played against Real Madrid.
“The conviction is there always. Now it’s one game.”
dailyvoice@inl.co.za