FC Basel (a) pre-match thread

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Sane , Delph and Silva all look close to a return

Manchester City's Leroy Sane could make a surprise return for the first leg of Tuesday's Champions League last-16 tie away to Swiss side Basel.

Germany winger Sane had initially been ruled out for six weeks with an ankle ligament injury sustained in City's FA Cup win over Cardiff on 28 January.

But City manager Pep Guardiola said the 22-year-old is back ahead of schedule.

"He's not in perfect condition but he is with us. The physios did a good job," Guardiola said.

"He wants to help us. I'm surprised. He has worked a lot, but I didn't expect with a young guy how professional he was."

Spain playmaker David Silva and left-back Fabian Delph are also back in contention for the Premier League leaders after overcoming respective hip and knee problems.

Guardiola has a doubt over record signing Aymeric Laporte after the French centre-back did not take a full part in training ahead of the tie at St Jakob-Park,


City captain Vincent Kompany says his team-mates enter the knockout stage of the Champions League in a confident frame of mind.

"If there is a year, a time, a moment when the club is ready to feel at home in the competition then it's now," Kompany said.

"I'm not going to say it's a matter of time because some clubs never win it.

"But, if every year we can go in with this kind of confidence, then if not this year, or next year, eventually we'll get there. I'm sure of it."

Basel coach Raphael Wicky, whose side are second in the Swiss Super League, acknowledged City are an "unbelievably strong" team but believes his side are still capable of an upset.

"We need a perfect game, we must show lots of courage and the fans have to be behind us. Everything must come together," he said.

"We must have a perfect evening to pull off a surprise. But we believe we can do it."

Basel will check on the fitness of defender Eder Balanta (thigh) and midfielder Luca Zuffi (foot) but goalkeeper Germano Vailati (shoulder) is out.
 
Basel are tough at home and have put up a few surprises already in this and recent CL years. It’s a small pitch and looks like a ground that we normally have a bit more trouble at. They are an experienced side in the CL as they have won the Swiss league often and with ease.

I still expect us to win or at least score a few away goals when the result is anything other than a win. I don’t expect Delph or Sane will feature straight away. Danilo probably takes leftback with Bernardo remaining in the front line. Silva might come straight back in though.
 
------------------Ederson
--------Stones---Otamendi---Laporte
-------------------Fernandinho
---Walker-=--De Bruyne--Toure----Danilo

------------------Sterling
-------------------Aguero

Take 0-0 and beat them at home
 
pbueno16 said:
Any word on whether David is fit enough to start? Haven't heard anything besides him being fit enough to be in the squad.

Either way, perfect squad to try and put the tie out of reach and look forward to Wigan.
Click to expand...
I think he was very close on Satuday so hopefully he will be.
 
Perhaps a bit OT, but is it only me that finds VK's comments a bit nauseating again. Reminds me of his ridiculous "hunting season" comments, after which we fell apart and our title hopes fizzled out. I wish he'd keep his gob shut to be honest.
 
Chippy_boy said:
Perhaps a bit OT, but is it only me that finds VK's comments a bit nauseating again. Reminds me of his ridiculous "hunting season" comments, after which we fell apart and our title hopes fizzled out. I wish he'd keep his gob shut to be honest.
Click to expand...
I thought the same to be honest.
 
Love_Each_Day said:
------------------Ederson
--------Stones---Otamendi---Laporte
-------------------Fernandinho
---Walker-=--De Bruyne--Toure----Danilo

------------------Sterling
-------------------Aguero

Take 0-0 and beat them at home
Click to expand...

Yaya isn't in the squad, but even if he was I've got no idea why you'd want him to start.
 
That horrible moment when you're working in blizzard conditions and your ( so called ) mates start sending you photos of them in Basle on the piss. :-(
 
Chippy_boy said:
Perhaps a bit OT, but is it only me that finds VK's comments a bit nauseating again. Reminds me of his ridiculous "hunting season" comments, after which we fell apart and our title hopes fizzled out. I wish he'd keep his gob shut to be honest.
Click to expand...

His little smirk talking about the PL title is quite funny though... -> 7:07

 
To be fair his comments (which annoyed me when reading them in print) didn't seem half as bad when I heard them spoken and in the context of the overall interview.
 
Love_Each_Day said:
------------------Ederson
--------Stones---Otamendi---Laporte
-------------------Fernandinho
---Walker-=--De Bruyne--Toure----Danilo

------------------Sterling
-------------------Aguero

Take 0-0 and beat them at home
Click to expand...
Good team to play if winning wasn’t important
 
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