Football
Ian Holyman, France correspondent 7y

Monaco 'kids' ready to cope with Manchester City - Danijel Subasic

Monaco goalkeeper Danijel Subasic has said he believes the Ligue 1 club's talented "kids" have the maturity to give Manchester City a tough time in Tuesday's Champions League tie.

Subasic, 32, is one of the few experienced members of Leonardo Jardim's squad, which is largely comprised of youthful talent.

And as the Ligue 1 leaders head into the first leg of their round-of-16 tie at the Etihad Stadium, the Croatia international told Nice Matin they were ready for the challenges posed by Pep Guardiola's side.

"We have matured," Subasic said. "And we're a team without stars, but with [Radamel] Falcao, [Thomas] Lemar, Fabinho, [Bernardo] Silva.

"You always have someone in form, so when everyone is it's difficult to beat us, even if we're a very young team.

"Apart from me, Falcao and [Kamil] Glik, all the others are kids -- they still go to nursery!

"But they're talented kids. Monaco is perfect for young players who have their heads on their shoulders, such as Fabinho and [Tiemoue] Bakayoko."

Subasic played in the Ligue 1 club's run to the 2014-15 Champions League quarterfinals, where they lost 1-0 on aggregate to eventual runners-up Juventus.

"Without a doubt, we lacked experience," he said. "Cunning too, especially in the return leg when you saw the difference between a team used to playing at the very highest level and little boys."

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