One victory would complete the triple for John Stones and Manchester City, who face Inter Milan in the Saturday Champions League final. According to Pep Guardiola and Kyle Walker, Inter will be very challenging for the Premier League champions.
Prior to his team's Champions League final this weekend, Manchester City defender John Stones said he never imagined he would succeed as a professional football player, much less come close to a treble. The England international is most likely to start this weekend's European match against Inter Milan, where City can add the FA Cup and Premier League to their season's totals, which no English team has accomplished since 1999.
The next accomplishment is a far cry from Stones' youth days at Barnsley, the team where the 29-year-old started his career before departing for Everton a decade ago.
while asked if he felt this scenario was feasible while he was progressing through Barnsley's development ranks, Stones responded, "Definitely not, it's that simple. "I never imagined being a professional, much less representing England or competing in the Premier League, much alone taking home the title.
Sometimes saying it seems weird. I sometimes struggle to put into words my origins, my path, and all that has contributed to who I am now.
Stones was a member of the City squad that fell to Chelsea in the 2021 Champions League final in Porto, and the defender has warned that a reoccurrence of that result is not acceptable.
Asked what he has learned from that, Stones added: "Don't [let it] happen again, first and foremost.
"It was somewhere where we had never been before and a situation we had never been in. With all the experience that we have and had, sometimes you can't just put it into words or put something on it or know what to do in a certain situation.
"Now, being through that difficult time, coming out on the losing side was super hard and hit home hard. That's one of the biggest feelings that sticks with you and you don't want to feel that again.
"We have seemed a lot calmer and confident going into this game. Knowing that we should believe in ourselves and in what we have achieved already and how we're playing, there are so many factors that come into play."
City are heavy favourites for Saturday's final in Istanbul but manager Pep Guardiola says Inter Milan possess "a lot of difficulties" which can ruin their treble dream.
Simone Inzaghi's Inter have eight clean sheets in 12 Champions League games this season, including five defensive shut-outs in their six knock-out stage matches.
"They are a team with a lot of history, they have done really well with the shape, it's not just how good they defend," said Guardiola in a press conference.
"It's how good they are in transitions and linking with the strikers. They have a real good process, starting from [Andre] Onana, an exceptional goalkeeper in the build-up - one of the best in the world right now.
"That makes it difficult for our high pressing. They are a really good team, we have watched as much games as possible, I understand the reason why they are there.
"Inter will be a team with a lot of difficulties. It's not easy to attack the defensive system they use. We have to be with a lot of rhythm but be patient. We are not going to do it in three, four passes.
"We have to use the right tempo that we have to play in these type of games. As much as the game goes through, you become more anxious and that will be a problem.
"They are used to controlling all the games in Italy, they have good patterns and of course we have to defend really, really well.
"It's a final against a top team, we have to do it. We are confident and so optimistic, but at the same time I cannot deny the qualities of the opponents, especially in the final of the Champions League."
Guardiola's message was echoed by defender Kyle Walker, who has shrugged off concerns that he is a fitness doubt for the final.
"It's not 'turn up and Manchester City win the treble,'" Walker said. "Inter have not got there by luck, they've got there by defending well and getting the games through.
"We want to go there and win but I don't think it will be as easy as people are making it out to be. It's a final and anything can happen in 90 minutes of football."
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