Champions League winners City are eager to win the competition for the first time and face Europa League victors Sevilla in Athens on Wednesday in the final.
Midfield powerhouse Rodrigo has history in the competition, having played in the 2018 final when his Atletico Madrid side beat rivals Real Madrid 4-2 in the showpiece, held in Estonia.
He wants to emerge victorious once again this week to take his haul with City to nine trophies.
Asked whether he was motivated to play, he said: “Of course. Clearly, I am.
CITY V SEVILLA | EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW
“It was the first title I won as a player. It’s one of the [competitions] I’m most fond of.
“We will be facing a tough opponent: Sevilla.
“They have been top dogs in the [UEFA] Europa League for several years now. This is a special tournament, and we want to win it.”
Rodrigo has the utmost respect for our opponents on Wednesday.
They’ve won the UEFA Europa League, the competition that grants entry into the UEFA Super Cup, seven times in their history, including twice in the past four seasons.
They beat Jose Mourinho’s AS Roma in this past season’s final in Budapest on penalties.
Before moving into that competition, City faced them in the 2022/23 Champions League group stages and Rodrigo is fully aware of the qualities they showed in those two games.
“I think Sevilla turns into a very competitive team in the Europa League,” Rodrigo said when analysing this midweek’s opponents.
“I think they have earned respect. They have great players and, above all, are a team that works well together.
CITY V SEVILLA | MATCH PREVIEW
“We faced them last year in the [UEFA] Champions League group stage, and they showed character, competitiveness, and high quality, which means this will be a tough final and we will have to give our best.”
