MY ACCOUNT
Stefan Savic declared Atletico Madrid are ready to “suffer” as he returns to Manchester City a decade on from helping Roberto Mancini’s side win the Premier League.
Defender Savic only played a fleeting part in that title success in 2011-12 but was involved enough to earn a medal, before moving on to Fiorentina after just one season.
Now the Montenegro centre-back is relishing going back to the Etihad Stadium with Atletico for Tuesday’s Champions League quarter-final first leg.
Having helped the LaLiga giants edge past Manchester United in the previous round, Savic will be back on the blue side of the city but with his allegiances firmly now with Atletico.
Diego Simeone’s side have a formidable work rate that, coupled with abundant ability, has seen them grow into one of Europe’s leading teams.
They have twice reached the Champions League final during Simeone’s reign, but, like City, have yet to get their hands on the trophy.
“After 10 years I am going to play there again,” Savic said of the return to his old stamping ground.
“For me, it will be a special game because it was my first experience outside Montenegro, and to do it in a team as important as Manchester City, the truth is that it was a huge experience where we also won the league after many years.”
City’s league triumph during Savic’s time at the club ended a 44-year wait for a domestic league title, but four have since followed that long-awaited success, with Abu Dhabi owners and world-class coaching and playing staff turning the club into a colossal winning machine.
Savic played a small, almost forgettable part in the early stages of that success, but he said: “I had the opportunity to train and play with the most important players in the world of football at that time and it was a very good experience in my career.”
He featured with the likes of Yaya Toure, David Silva, Vincent Kompany, Carlos Tevez and Sergio Aguero, all of whom have since either retired or moved elsewhere.
City have replaced class with class, so the modern-day stars such as Kevin De Bruyne, Ilkay Gundogan, Bernardo Silva, Phil Foden, Riyad Mahrez and Raheem Sterling are those that will pose a threat to Atletico.
“We know they are one of the strongest teams in the Champions League, but I think we have the quality and the strength to face this game against Manchester City, and we will have our chance to go through,” Savic said, in an interview on Atletico’s YouTube page.
“They have enormous attacking potential, but United had it, too. We know that it will be a game where we are going to suffer and even more in their field, because they have very good attacking players, and they are the leaders in the Premier League, so it will be a tough game, but we are ready to face it.”
Atletico stretched their winning run in LaLiga to six games on Saturday when they chalked up a 4-1 win over Deportivo Alaves, and they are well placed to clinch a return to next season’s Champions League through their domestic results.
Last season was a title-winning campaign for Atletico, and although this term has fallen short of that standard, Simeone’s side are currently showing sublime form.
“I think this year the team is in a better moment because we found that regularity,” Savic said. “We are very happy, and we hope to continue in that line because now comes the most important part of the season, which is the Champions League and the final stretch of the league, so we hope to get good results.”
