Readying themselves for a tough game against Manchester City on Wednesday night, Feyenoord know they’ll have to play to the best of their abilities if they want to stop Pep Guardiola’s attacking side.
Thumping Liverpool 5-0 at the weekend, helped by Sadio Mané’s sending off towards the end of the first half, the Citizens have been warned by the Dutch side’s Karim El Ahmadi the Eredivisie champions won’t just roll over for them.
Relayed by De Telegraaf, he said: “We have a lot of respect for City, but we are not afraid of them.”
Managed by Giovanni van Bronckhorst, who knows all about the type of football Guardiola is trying to implement from his time as a Barcelona player, the Moroccan international did however admit they would have to be very careful due to the ability at the Spaniard’s disposal.
He continued: “They have De Bruyne and David Silva with their through balls. The two strikers in Agüero and Gabriel Jesus. These are matters we need to be sharp about. What are our chances? We will have to ensure we aren’t naive.”
While Feyenoord were impressed at how ruthless Manchester City were over the weekend against Liverpool, there is some hope for them if they defend as a solid unit.
He said: “When Liverpool went to 10 men, every opportunity was punished, but you can see that City can also struggle against smaller teams if they are defensively good. Here at home, with the fans behind us, we can also make it difficult for big teams.”
Only a few more hours now before finding out if the De Kuip faithful will be able to rattle Guardiola and his talented squad.
