Championship club Southampton meet the Premier League leaders in the FA Cup semifinal.
Former City defender Harwood-Bellis told The Sun: “It’s a different level, a level that I want to get back to.
“I see City as just a different beast, a different animal.
“I’ve obviously got loads of ties to City, I love City, but I’m hoping that we can stop their run. They’re in good form, obviously good spirits, but so are we.”
On Saints' current winning form, Harwood-Bellis added: “The way we’re winning isn’t a fluke. If we were fluking wins, then it’s kind of like false belief.
“We’ve gone away in big games in the league, and one of them we played the Premier League leaders at home, and we didn’t just nick it, we had so many chances, and actually dominated a part of the game.”