Bernardo Silva explains what makes 'weird' Real Madrid so hard to beat

Manchester City midfielder Bernardo Silva has admitted Real Madrid are a "weird" team to face because of their ability to thrive on the counter.

The two sides have been regular opponents in Europe over the past five years and faced off for the third time in this season's quarter-finals, where Madrid secured a 3-3 draw in the first leg before advancing on penalties in the reverse fixture.

City managed well over 60% possession in both legs this season and 45 shots on goal across the two games, but Madrid soaked up the pressure and punished Pep Guardiola's side on the break.

"Real Madrid are a weird team," Silva told TNT Sports. "Sometimes it seems like you have control of the game and out of nowhere, they run twice [on the counter] and score two goals because their players individually are very good. They are so fast and strong on the counterattack that it is not easy to control them.

"If you attack with too many players, they run on the counter. If you don't attack with many players, it feels like you're not effective enough to attack them properly. So it is difficult to make these small decisions in the game."

Silva will enter the final two years of his contract this summer and is reported to be a target for Barcelona, while there have even been claims that Madrid could try and secure his signature ahead of their Clasico rivals.

The Portugal international's contract includes a release clause worth £50m which becomes active this summer but that sum could still be too high for Barcelona, whose current focus is on balancing the books and not striking summer transfers.

Guardiola has always made it clear that he will not stand in the way of any player who wants to leave City, providing the club receive a fair bid for their services. With a release clause already in Silva's contract, a deal for the 29-year-old could be fairly simple to execute.

READ THE LATEST TRANSFER NEWS & GOSSIP FROM AROUND THE WORLD