Manchester City closed in on the Champions League quarter-finals with a dominant display to beat FC Copenhagen 3-1 in the Danish capital on Tuesday.
City were keen to build up a comfortable advantage with the second leg falling between crucial Premier League games against Manchester United and Liverpool next month.
"Last year we had a lot of hunger to win it and get to the final because we had lost one before. It doesn't change anything. We have the same hunger. We have experience of winning it. Knowing how to win games that's the only difference," Nathan Ake told reporters ahead of Tuesday's match.
"You have to be mentally tough, we do everything for each other on the pitch and off the pitch we are good to each other too. That makes a big difference. We have a strong group - a lot of mature players and a lot of young players. A good mix," he concluded.