Manchester City star Bernardo Silva has admitted he is hoping to pile more misery on rivals Manchester United, as he warns of the champions’ goalscoring ability ahead of Saturday’s eagerly-anticipated clash.
The two sides head into the Manchester Derby at Old Trafford with just three points separating them in the Premier League table, albeit with the Red Devils enduring a turbulent time of it of late following their recent shambolic 5-0 defeat at home to bitter rivals Liverpool.
Although they have since recorded positive results on the road against Tottenham Hotspur and Atalanta, this weekend’s clash will be their first return to the Theatre of Dreams since that thrashing two weeks ago, where they were simply ripped apart by Jurgen Klopp’s men.
While Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and co will be hoping to avoid a repeat outcome, Silva has warned that his side have the quality to inflict further damage on their neighbours.
“We know that when we are focused and do well, we are a team that has the capacity to score four or five goals per game,” he said, as per The Sun.
“Of course, that doesn’t happen in all the games. But we are going to try to score as many goals as we can in Old Trafford – even though we know we are playing a very good team.”
The 27-year-old – who has enjoyed a fine start to the season after previously angling for a move over the summer – has also insisted it will leave a ‘special taste’ to beat one of City’s main rivals.
“It feels great to win a derby. It’s the same everywhere. I’m from Portugal, I was brought up at Benfica. If you beat Sporting Lisbon, it’s the best game of the season.
“For us, when we play against Manchester United or Liverpool, beating them has a special taste.
“For them as well, I imagine. It’s an important game for us, for the fans, so we are going to try our best to win that game.”
The clash will also see the Portuguese playmaker come up against his international colleague Cristiano Ronaldo for the first time in his career, with Silva wary of the impact that the prolific veteran can have.
“I think Cristiano is doing well. He is helping United with late winners this season.
“He is a player people know, he can decide the game. We’re going to try and stop him and make sure he doesn’t score.”