Roberto Mancini predicts tonight’s PSG-Manchester City Champions League quarter-final and is “proud” of his time in England.
The Inter Coach spoke to France Football about the first leg clash, which kicks off this evening at 19.45 UK time (18.45 GMT).
“We’ll see how the two defences respond to the two attacks. The back lines will be under a great deal of pressure throughout.
Roberto Mancini predicts tonight’s PSG-Manchester City Champions League quarter-final and is “proud” of his time in England.
The Inter Coach spoke to France Football about the first leg clash, which kicks off this evening at 19.45 UK time (18.45 GMT).
“We’ll see how the two defences respond to the two attacks. The back lines will be under a great deal of pressure throughout.
“The absence of Vincent Kompany, City’s best defender, is very significant, especially against the likes of Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Angel Di Maria and Lucas.
“The PSG defence certainly has more experience. In my view, City will miss Kompany a lot more than PSG will miss Marco Verratti, as Paris Saint-Germain have the players who can replace him.”
This is the first time Manchester City have ever reached the Champions League quarter-finals, but Mancini admits he expected a different type of campaign.
“I thought City would win the Premier League this season, as they have had the strongest squad over the last few years. However, football is spectacular because it always holds surprises.
“This term Manchester City lost too many games. They showed a lot of defensive errors, which usually didn’t happen. In any case, I am confident they will finish in the top four of the Premier League.
“The announcement in January that Pep Guardiola would be taking over next term could well have influenced the season. It was not a positive message for the players, but at the end of the day they are professionals and should not let themselves be affected by these things.”
Naturally Mancini is cheering on his former club and feels he helped build the foundations for the future.
“I personally have wonderful memories of my experience in Manchester. I am proud of being the manager who brought City back to victory in the League after so many years, also winning the FA Cup.”