Manchester City midfielder Bernardo Silva has taken a swipe at the race for a Champions League place this season, claiming their semi-final tie against Real Madrid is better than fighting in the top four race. It comes ahead of the Citizen’s match against Real Madrid in the final four of the competition on Tuesday night.
What the Portuguese playmaker was referring to was the current battle to finish in the top four in the Premier League, which will grant the team a place in the Champions League next season. While it is the most prestigious continental competition on offer, the income generated from it is also significantly greater.
So for everyone involved in the battle, it is vitally important to continuously qualify for Europe. Going into the final few games, the battle appears to be between Chelsea, Arsenal and Tottenham for third and fourth.
READ MORE: Arsenal news and transfers LIVE: Gabriel Jesus deal close, Thomas Partey boost, Abraham price
The Blues have a five-point gap on the Gunners and seven on Spurs, with a game in hand on both too. Despite that, Thomas Tuchel has warned against his side being complacent: "We don't know if we can finish second or not sure we don't finish fourth – I'm not sure about it until the season is finished.
"We will fight hard. We have a crucial four matches coming in another short period of time within like two weeks: Arsenal, West Ham, Man United, Everton. Two home, two away."
Elsewhere, Manchester City faces Real Madrid in the semi-finals of the Champions League. The Premier League leaders face La Liga leaders, with Los Blancos fresh from beating Chelsea in the last round.
Speaking ahead of the game, midfielder Silva took a swipe at all three London clubs, claiming that he would rather be in the semi-final than fighting for fourth. He said: "I like this pressure. Look, it's better to be here than to be fighting against relegation or for fourth place or the Europa Conference League..."
It remains to be seen how Pep Guardiola's men do in Europe after last season's loss in the final, but he will be hoping that the comments don't come back to bite them. As for the other sides, they have a huge challenge on their hands as they try and finish inside the top four.
