Raheem Sterling is wary of a "dangerous" Watford side as Manchester City look to win their first FA Cup title in eight years on Sunday.
The striker has had a hugely successful season, scoring 17 goals and 10 assists to lead City to their second straight Premier League title. Having already won the League Cup this season, the Abu Dhabi-backed side are on the cusp of an unprecedented domestic treble.
Sterling, though, is desperate to lift a trophy that has plenty history but one his club have won only five times before and one he himself has "never touched".
“It’s a massive trophy in this country, a big history and it’s one that we will try our best to win," he said. "To be in the final, that’s massive and people might say it’s just another cup, but for us to be in the final is a massive achievement.
"There’s been many a year we have tried, and we’ve not been able to get there and this year we’ve got there. We just need to be positive going into it and try to win it. It’s a beautiful trophy and it’s a trophy that I’ve never touched and hopefully I can walk up those stairs and get my hands on it."
City head into Sunday's final as heavy favourites against a Watford side that finished 11th in the league and a whopping 48 points behind Pep Guardiola's champions. They also twice defeated Watford in the league this season, winning 2-1 away and 3-1 at home. Watford lost their only cup final appearance, in 1984 against Everton.
Yet, Sterling has little doubt of the challenge the Hornets will pose in a one-off championship match.
“They’re going to be dangerous for sure and we’ve played against them countless amount of times and they’ve shown that they’ve got a good team," he said. "They’re defensively strong and have good attacking players and players that can hurt you. We know exactly what they’re like and we’ve got to be ready and up for it on the day.”
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Pep Guardiola: 10/10. The Catalan is surely the finest manager in club football. Has taken City to new heights, securing an unprecedented English treble of Premier League, FA Cup and League Cup in a single season. AFP -
Claudio Bravo: 5/10. The Chilean has fallen way down the pecking order at City behind Ederson and Arijanet Muric. Made only one appearance this season in the curtain-raising Community Shield win over Chelsea. Reuters -
Ederson: 8/10. Twenty clean sheets for the Brazilian who also registered an assist for Sergio Aguero in the 6-1 rout of Huddersfield in the second game of the season. Getty Images -
Kyle Walker: 7/10. Few can match the flying right-back for pace or determination. Lacks the quality on the ball of his chief rivals in the national team Kieran Trippier and Trent Alexander-Arnold. Reuters -
Danilo: 6/10. On the periphery for most of the season, making only 10 Premier League appearances. The Brazilian remains an able squad player who can fill in at full-back or defensive midfield if required. Getty Images -
Vincent Kompany: 8/10. The Belgian proved with his thunderous strike against Leicester City in the run-in that he is still the man for the big occasion. A club legend who on Sunday announces he will leave the club after 11 seasons. Reuters -
John Stones: 6/10. A stop-start season due to niggling injuries but the Englishman formed a formidable early-season partnership alongside Aymeric Laporte. Reuters -
Aymeric Laporte: 9/10. Manchester City's best defender this season. Has hardly put a foot wrong since joining from Athletic Bilbao for £57 million in January 2018. The heir to Kompany's throne. EPA -
Benjamin Mendy: 5/10. The French left-back has suffered another season disrupted by injury. Off-field antics have not always impressed his manager but no doubt Mendy is a one-man flank down City's left when fit. Reuters -
Nicolas Otamendi: 5/10. The no-nonsense Argentine has slipped down the pecking order due to the form of Stones and Laporte. An able back-up though. Reuters -
Ilkay Gundogan: 7/10. Has the short-passing game and on-field intelligence so admired by Guardiola in his central midfielders. Chipped in with some important performances and goals, including a peach for City's final of the campaign against Brighton. Reuters -
Kevin de Bruyne: 6/10. The Belgian metronome has suffered an injury-hit campaign restricting him to just 19 appearances. It says something of City's achievement that they won the title largely without their best player. Reuters -
Fabian Delph: 5/10. The Englishman found his appearances limited this season despite the long-term injuries to Benjamin Mendy and Kevin de Bruyne. Reuters -
Bernardo Silva: 10/10. A personal view is that the Portuguese winger should have scooped all the individual player awards this season. Operates to devastating affect anywhere across the midfield and wide forward positions. Regularly tops the charts for most kilometres covered in a game and epitomises his manager's work ethic. Reuters -
David Silva: 8/10. The Spanish maestro's influence on the team was overshadowed by namesake Bernardo but still continues to be a mainstay in one of the best attacking teams in Europe. AFP -
Fernandinho: 8/10. The one player City struggle to replace. The Brazilian may have a contend for the best holding midfielder in the league in compatriot Fabinho but still offers outstanding protection to his defence. Reuters -
Oleksandr Zinchenko: 7/10. The main beneficiary of Mendy's injury problems. The Ukraine lacks the quality of the Frenchman's passing and crossing but like his teammate looks to get forward at every opportunity. Was outstanding in the League Cup final shoot-out win over Chelsea after an early mistake. Reuters -
Phil Foden: 8/10. The young Englishman established himself in Guardiola's plans this season and scored the only goal in the win over Tottenham Hotspur after suffering elimination from the Champions League to the Londoners. Living up to the hype and will push the likes of David Silva for more first-team opportunities next term. Reuters -
Riyad Mahrez: 6/10. City's record signing has struggled to replicate the form he showed over the past two seasons at Leicester City. Substituted at half-time during the FA Cup final despite City being 2-0 up. AFP -
Raheem Sterling: 10/10. A return of 17 league goals and 10 assists does not do justice to the fine form of the young English forward. Has developed into an excellent finisher. Often derided for poor decision-making in games in the past. That criticism no longer applies. His two goals in the FA Cup final only added gloss to a tremendous individual campaign in which he was also voted PFA Player of the Year. Reuters -
Leroy Sane: 8/10. There is a nagging sense that Guardiola does not have full faith in the electric German winger. But Sane is a game-changer, as his 10 goals and as many assists attest to. Reuters -
Sergio Aguero: 10/10. The Argentine is a guarantor of goals and once again passed the 20 mark in a league campaign. Records continue to tumble for Aguero at City. There is no better finisher in the league. EPA -
Gabriel Jesus: 7/10. The Brazilian is an understudy to the prolific Aguero but his team ethic - never more on display than in the FA Cup final rout of Watford - makes him a Guardiola favourite. Reuters -
Philippe Sandler: 4/10. The young Dutch defender made his first-team debut in the FA Cup third-round win over Rotherham United. Remains to be seen whether he can force his way into City's galaxy of stars. Getty Images -
Arijanet Muric: 6/10. The giant Kosovo international was a fixture in the early rounds of the League Cup before losing his place in the final to Ederson. Has firmly established himself as the Brazilian's understudy. Getty Images
Sterling was narrowly pipped by Liverpool centre-back Virgil van Dijk to the PFA Player of the Year award last month, although he was named as the Young Player of the Year. However, the 24-year-old showed his humble side by crediting his team's remarkable season for his personal success in 2018/19.
“It’s a fantastic feeling for people to look at you in that way and think about you in that way," he said. "These things always come when your team is doing well not only when you’re doing good performances. If your team is doing well and you’re helping your team do well, that’s when things like this happen."
Sterling insisted winning the Premier League means more to him than personal awards.
"Those are lovely personal accolades but the most important thing as a player is to win the trophy and the team trophies, because that’s what gets you in contention for the personal accolades,” he pointed out.
The Englishman also paid tribute to Guardiola for helping raise the level of a team that seem to have set the standard for their rivals, having scored a jaw-dropping 95 times in the league this season. They scored a record 106 goals in 2017/18.
“He’s phenomenal, not only with me but with every player in the team," Sterling said of Guardiola. "He gives everyone opportunities, he gives people chances and it’s down to you to repay that faith.
"The manager gives his all, he comes in every day and wants the best, not only from himself but from everyone else. Everyone tries to give their best and that’s the best environment you can be in is to have a team full on winners.”
