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Evening Standard
Evening Standard
Sport
Tom Doyle

Raheem Sterling warns Chelsea FC: ‘The only thing that can stop Man City are ourselves’

Raheem Sterling has warned Chelsea that Manchester City are the only team that can stop themselves from winning the Champions League Final in Porto.

Having won the Premier League title at a canter along with also lifting the Carabao Cup earlier this season, Man City are on the verge of a treble-winning season this weekend.

Standing in between them and their first European Cup triumph are Chelsea - and Thomas Tuchel's Blues have beaten City twice in the past six weeks to suggest this all-English final will go down to the wire.

Sterling has been in and out of Pep Guardiola's starting lineup this season, but is confident that if City enter the game with the right mentality, there will only be one winner if it comes down to talent.

"Chelsea are a strong a team who have a lot of physically strong players," Sterling said.

(POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

"We have played them twice and lost twice but this is a Champions League final. On the day, things are a lot different.

"You go into it with a clean mindset, those games that happened against them in recent times go out the window. It is now about focusing on winning that trophy.

"The only things that can stop us are ourselves if I am honest. It is a game where I expect a difficult test but at the same time I expect us to pull through."

While the likes of Phil Foden, Bernardo Silva and Riyad Mahrez are more likely to start than Sterling at Estadio do Dragao, there is a strong chance the England international will have some role to play given Guardiola can make five substitutes.

The 26-year-old left Liverpool for City in 2015 to further his career and he admits playing in such matches has long been the aim.

He said: "Since my time at this club that has been the ultimate goal, to try to reach the Champions League final and try to bring home the trophy.

"There is one game to go, that being a Champions League final, so you don't need much more motivation than that."

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