Burnley manager Vincent Kompany has prepared for the toughest test in world football by bringing his Burnley side away to Manchester City in the FA Cup quarter-finals.
Kompany knows that more than most, having made more than 360 appearances for City, 169 of which came on home turf.
The Clarets boss has compared the task ahead of the runaway Championship leaders to playing against Liverpool at Anfield, which he experienced eight times in a City shirt, with mixed results. Kompany also named Camp Nou in Barcelona and Real Madrid's Estadio Santiago Bernabeu the hardest of challenges for an opposition side.
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“(Playing City at the Etihad) is the toughest challenge anyone can have," Kompany said during his pre-match press conference. "In my opinion, it’s (one of) the hardest challenges anyone can have – away from home at the Etihad, Anfield, Nou Camp, Bernabeu. These are dominant places where they are used to winning.”
Kompany also spoke on the club's transformation during his 11 years as a player. “I think it's undeniable that City as a football brand now is an incredible example of how you do it well,” he added. “I think the biggest challenge has been over time to establish that kind of identity, that new identity.“
“The club is a monster now; it’s a machine; it is huge. So being there at the beginning and seeing how it evolved into that, it was a really good journey.“
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