Rio Ferdinand sends Atletico Madrid warning to Man City ahead of crucial Liverpool clash

Rio Ferdinand has warned Manchester City of the effect a negative result against Atletico Madrid would have heading into their crucial Premier League encounter with Liverpool.

City begin a pivotal couple of weeks as they host Atletico in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final at the Etihad this evening. While they remain in the hunt for an historic treble, they’re hopes could well hinge on their next four games.

As well as the clash against the Spanish champions, the Blues face Liverpool in what many are billing as a title decider on Sunday. Following next week’s second leg in Madrid, they face the Reds again in semi-finals of the FA Cup.

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Though City are favourites to make their way past Atletico, Diego Simeone’s pragmatic side rarely provide easy opposition. Having knocked out Manchester United in the previous round, they’ll be looking for more joy against their neighbours.

And as they move into what could be a pivotal couple of weeks, former United defender Ferdinand has warned them of the effect Atletico could have on their hopes elsewhere.

“Going into Liverpool, if they get a negative result today and go in against Liverpool, you know as a player… ‘we could be out the Champions League and then the League title if we hand that over’. It’s bigger pressure then if you don’t win today,” Ferdinand told BT Sport.

“It’s huge. It’s like a broken record, momentum is so key, you don’t want to go into these key games on the back of a negative result. They want to start on this run of high profile games, which they want to come out with a good positive result, you’ve got to start well.

“Tonight is a huge game, they