Manchester City vs Basel LIVE: Champions League round-of-16 second leg!
All the latest from the Champions League fixture at The Etihad
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Your support makes all the difference.Manchester City host Basel in the second leg of their last-16 tie, with Pep Guardiola hopeful that the 4-0 lead held by City from their impressive first leg display will be enough to see them through to the Champions League quarter-finals.
City, who could welcome the return of striker Gabriel Jesus after a lengthy lay-off with injury, are in scintillating form both domestically and in Europe, with their three first half goals in the first-leg in Switzerland attesting to their excellent attacking form.
Basel currently sit second in the Swiss Super League, though they were unable to translate their league form into Europe when they took on City, and with Guardiola able to call on a wide array of attacking and defensive recruits coupled with the league being all but confirmed for the Citizens, the Spaniard will be expected to name a full strength side for the Champions League clash on Wednesday.
With an 18 point lead at the top of the table, prior to United playing Crystal Palace on Monday night, City will be looking at the game against Basel as a routine demolition task, and with the possibility of a treble still on the cards for Guardiola’s side, success on Wednesday night is an important part of their 2017/18 quest for outright domestic and European domination.
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Match preview
It’s a big game for...
Sergio Aguero. Despite a four goal haul against Leicester, Aguero has not scored in three of his last four Premier League games. With the impending return to fitness of Brazilian forward Gabriel Jesus, Wednesday night is a chance for Aguero to reassure Guardiola that he is the striker to be leading the line for the Citizens, and having passed 200 goals for the Sky Blues last week, Aguero will be hungry for goals against Basel.
Best stat...
Manchester City are the fifth highest scorers in the 2017/18 Champions League, with 18 goals. Of the five highest scoring teams, Liverpool, PSG, Madrid and Bayern, they have the highest number of different goal-scorers.
Remember when…
In the first ever clash between these two sides in the first leg, City tore apart Basel with a 4-0 victory. Relive the goals, moments and action from the game.
Player to watch…
Kevin De Bruyne. City’s Belgian wizard has been in outstanding form in 2017/18, and he has been showing his pedigree on the stage of Champions League football too. With seven goals and 16 assists in the league, De Bruyne has the ability to shine for Guardiola’s side, and with a habit of stepping up in the big games, Wednesday could yet mark another stunning performance from what has been undoubtedly City’s player of the season.
Past meetings…
- Basel 0 Manchester City 4 (Gundogan 2, B Silva 1, Aguero 1), Champions League, February 2018
Form guide…
- Manchester City: WWLWWW
- Basel: WLWLLL
Odds…
- Manchester City to win: 1/7
- Basel to win: 8/1
- Draw: 18/1
85 mins: Tottenham need a threat that can challenge these Juventus defenders in the air and so Mauricio Pochettino has called for Fernando Llorente. The striker takes over from Dele Alli for what Juventus hope will be the final five minutes. A Tottenham goal will force extra-time.
87 mins: A London side need a dramatic late goal to beat Juventus in Europe? Maybe Spurs should have sent for this man...
88 mins: On the subject of former Fulham men, Moussa Dembele has picked up a booking for tripping Paulo Dybala. It will eat up a few more seconds of time.
90 mins: GOAL!? No! Harry Kane is millimeters from equalising! The striker's downwards header from Ben Davies' cross clatters the inside of the post with Buffon beaten and rolls across the line before Barzagli heroically boots to safety. So close for Spurs. So close.
There will be three minutes of stoppage time to be played.
Two home defeats for Premier League teams in Europe this evening but while one saunters into the quarter-finals, it's heartbreak for another.
Tottenham looked to have done the hard part brilliantly when they built on their comeback in Turin with a first half goal at Wembley - but that was reckoning without some wise, old Italian nous. Max Allegri made key changes in the second period and they paid immediate dividends; Higuain's equaliser was quickly followed up by a second from Dybala. Try as they might, Spurs could neither recover or break down a determined Juventus defence and so it's the Serie A club who progress and remain on course for a third Champions League final in four seasons.
In Manchester, Premier League leaders City faltered on the night, going down 2-1 to Swiss side Basel, but eased through to the last eight with a 5-2 aggregate victory. They will join Juventus, Real Madrid, Liverpool and four others in the quarter-final draw a week on Friday.
That's all on a dramatic night of European action. It's back to domestic matters on Saturday when the Premier League returns with a bang - our weekend of live blogging begins with Manchester United against Liverpool at Old Trafford. Until then, thanks for reading and goodnight.
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