“We’re here because we deserve to be.”

That’s the attitude Fiorentina Women will take with them to England to face Manchester City on Wednesday, according to the Viola’s Dutch midfielder, Tessel Middag.

“We’re disappointed with the result in the derby because we created lots of chances but couldn’t finish them,” says Middag. “We wanted to keep our good run of results going. We’d been in good form since the start of the year, in both the Super Cup and the league. We looked at each other after the game and said that there were millions of reasons why we lost and that it wasn’t good enough. The good thing is that there’s always another match in football, so we have a chance to bounce back straight away.”

Saturday’s game was the first of four in 12 days, with the Champions League Round of 16 clash against Manchester City on Wednesday representing a step up in terms of the quality of the opposition.

Is it a daunting prospect?

“We’re the only Italian team left in the Champions League,” says Middag. “We want to do well. We deserve to play this match – we earned this chance on the pitch in Prague. Of course, it’s going to be difficult, but that’s the way it is as you progress. It’s going to be the first time many of my team-mates have faced City and I’ve already told them that the stadium we’re going to be playing in is a great arena.”

Manchester City have reached the semi-finals of the Champions League on several occasions in recent years – and Middag believes that not much has changed at the club since her spell in the north of England between 2016 and 2018.

“Manchester City are very similar to they were when I used to play there,” she says. “They have a clear philosophy and want to keep the ball, stick to a tiki take style and wait for the right time to strike. The Champions League is the only trophy they haven’t won and I’m sure that’s what they’re aiming for – just look at the American players they’ve signed. That’s their objective so I’m sure they’ll be very motivated to get through.”

Middag is bullish about Fiorentina’s mindset going into the game, despite the size of the task awaiting them.

“We want to bounce back, play well and stick to our game plan,” she says. “We need to focus on our organisation and in defence, because if we avoid conceding that will help us in the return leg. If we stay focused, we’ve got a chance.”

Fiorentina will depart for Manchester on Tuesday morning and are due to train there on Tuesday evening. Antonio Cincotta and a player will also appear at a pre-match press conference from the City Academy Stadium on Tuesday evening.

The match itself kicks off on Wednesday at 17:45 CET. The return leg will take place at the Stadio Artemio Franchi in Florence on 11 March.