Fernandinho hopes Manchester
City can atone for their Premier League struggles this season by pipping
Paris Saint-Germain to a place in the Champions League semi-finals.
The
Ligue 1 champions take on City at the Etihad Stadium on Tuesday with
the quarter-final poised at 2-2 – Fernandinho having netted a second
away goal in the Parc des Princes to earn a share of the spoils for
Manuel Pellegrini's side last week.
City expected
to be fighting for honours at home and abroad at this stage of the
season but find themselves fourth in the Premier League, 15 points shy
of leaders Leicester City.
"For us players,
reaching the semi-finals would mean a lot because we spent all season
with a lot of difficulties, many injuries," he told Omnisport.
"And often we had to play the whole month with the same players, so speaking of the Premier League is a bit complicated.
"This
game will mean a lot for us. The will and desire of all who are at
Manchester [City] and for us, as players, for our career, it is
something that will mean a lot."
Fernandinho was
also on target in February's League Cup final against Liverpool before
City prevailed on penalties, but the Brazil international knows the
greater prize of Champions League glory is a target for the club's
ambitious Abu Dhabi owners after reaching the last eight of the
competition for the first time.
"It's a super
important game for us," said the 30-year-old. "Since the club was bought
by the Abu Dhabi Group, I think one of the great intentions was to do
well in the Champions League - trying to get to the final and trying to
win the title.
"After a long time we are having this chance now."
Favourites
Barcelona and Bayern Munich hold slender first-leg advantages from
respective home matches versus Atletico Madrid and Benfica, while Real
Madrid are nursing a 2-0 deficit at the halfway stage against Wolfsburg
in the other quarter-final.
"Barcelona and Bayern
won at home but must now decide things away and it will be a little
complicated for them," Fernandinho added.
"Benfica and Atletico Madrid are difficult opponents, so I believe that anything can happen in these games.
"Regarding
the match of Real Madrid and Wolfsburg, I think this surprised a lot of
people. Everyone was expecting an easy victory for Real Madrid.
"But
this game describes what current football is like. When you get on the
pitch, you have to stay focused and sacrifice yourself, because
otherwise you end up with surprising negative results like this."
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