Bernardo Silva admits Manchester City don't know exactly how Atletico Madrid will approach their Champions League tie with Manchester City, although he did spell out certain aspects of their game that will test the Blues.
City welcome Atletico to the Etihad on Tuesday for the quarter-final first leg, with the return leg next week in Spain. Atletico beat Manchester United in the last round, and have a strong record in the Champions League thanks to their solid defensive work and clinical attacking capabilities.
Previewing the clash, Bernardo said while City cannot predict Atletico's exact game plan, they can prepare themselves for a tough contest both physically and tactically.
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He said: "The very honest answer is we don't know what to expect. We don't know if they're going to try to press high or low and wait for us. We know that whenever they try to press us they will be very aggressive, they won't give us much space.
"We know it will be very tight, it won't be an open game because that isn't Atletico's quality. It will be little details that will be decisive in these kind of games. We don't expect an open game."
Naming three qualities City can prepare for from their visitors, Bernardo pointed to Atletico's aggression, their countering abilities, and a contest with little space to create chances.
"Definitely a tough game," he said, adding that Atletico's style is not comparable to City's Premier League opponents who set up with a low block.
"We know Atletico. It's a team that is very used to playing this kind of games, these kind of important games where the pressure is very high. We're expecting an aggressive team on and off the ball, prepared to counter-attack, to not give us a lot of space. It will definitely be a very tough game for us tomorrow."
"Maybe the style of play might be similar to some of the teams in the Premier League but it is a team with some of the best players in the world so it isn't comparable. If you look at the top teams in England, most of them or all of them don't play like Atletico which is going to make the game a bit different.
"They're a very competitive side, a very organised side with a very specific style of play. it's never easy to play against them - you saw against Manchester United and against Liverpool two years ago. It wasn't easy for them and I'm pretty sure it won't be easy for us but if we follow Pep's plan and do our jobs it is going to work out."
Bernardo also dismissed the idea that Atletico's infamous 'dark arts' would be a decisive factor in the tie, with Diego Simeone's side notorious for trying to win free-kicks and influence officials.
"It's something that we cannot control," he said.
"The best we can do is do our game, try and be on a very good level and beat them on the pitch. The rest is up to the referees, who are very good in this competition. I'm sure they will deal with it properly."
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