John Stones urges Manchester City to 'be positive' ahead of Liverpool and Atletico battles

It is a 12-day period that could make or break Manchester City’s season. Double headers against Atletico Madrid and Liverpool, in their contrasting ways two of the most intense teams in world football, would be demanding enough even without the stakes that span three competitions. It is Champions League, Premier League, Champions League, FA Cup. If City end up with a treble, it will be in part thanks to the events of early April.

“There maybe hasn't been another time where there have been such big games,” said John Stones, whose six seasons at the Etihad Stadium have given him plenty of experience of high-pressure matches. “It's an important time and an exciting time. We should be positive about it.”

They encountered negativity in the first of four defining matches, the blanket defence of Atletico, which Kevin de Bruyne described as a 5-5-0 formation. Yet De Bruyne pierced it. City take a 1-0 lead to Madrid for next week’s second leg.

If they are slight favourites to reach the Champions League semi-finals, it is in part because of the platform provided by Stones. The official statistics showed Atletico with no shots of any description.

It was all the more admirable as City fielded a defence without the suspended Kyle Walker and the injured Ruben Dias. The Portuguese, the reigning Footballer of the Year, is set to miss Sunday’s meeting with Jurgen Klopp’s team.

In his absence, the comparatively old firm of Aymeric Laporte and Stones have teamed up again, with the latter feeling “good” after a groin injury meant he missed England’s friendly wins over Switzerland and Ivory Coast and was an unused substitute when City beat Burnley last Saturday.

“I've been fortunate to spend quite a few years with Ayme,” he said. “The boys