Manchester City v Basel: line-ups, Fantasy tips, form guide
Tuesday, March 6, 2018
Article summary
All you need to know as the runaway English Premier League leaders take on the Swiss champions.
Article top media content
Article body
- Manchester City defending 4-0 lead
- City eyeing treble after winning League Cup in February
- City have not lost at home since 2016 (36 games)
- Follow live build-up to the match right here
- How to watch the game where you are
Reporter's view: Guardiola still does his best to play down City's billing among the favourites – "To join this kind of team you have to be there a long, long time" he stressed when asked if they are now on Barcelona's level. He also warned about random events that can knock a team off course – citing the red card in the FA Cup defeat at Wigan – yet surely not this week. Instead, Wednesday holds other elements of interest: expected opportunities for John Stones and Phil Foden and the continued rehabilitation of İlkay Gündoğan.
Possible line-ups
Man. City: Bravo; Danilo, Stones, Laporte, Zinchenko; De Bruyne, Gündoğan, Foden; B Silva, Jesus, Sterling
Out: Fernandinho (hamstring), Mendy (knee), D Silva (personal reasons)
Misses next match if booked: Danilo, Fernandinho, Gündoğan
Basel: Vaclík; Lang, Lacroix, Suchý, Riveros, Petretta; Zuffi, Serey Dié; Stocker, Elyounoussi, Oberlin
Out: Xhaka (suspended)
Misses next match if booked: Balanta, Petretta
Fantasy Football top point scorers
Man. City: Ederson, goalkeeper (37 points, €5.9m)
Basel: Michael Lang, defender (40 points, €6.1m)
Where to watch
Fans can find their local UEFA Champions League broadcast partner(s) here.
Weekend results
Man. City1-0 Chelsea
Basel P-P Zürich (power failure)
Form guide*
Man. City: WWWLWW
Basel: LLLWLW
*All competitions, most recent first
Josep Guardiola, Man. City manager
We start again from zero, but we have to be focused and not make a mistake – focused on what we have to do, control the game and go through. In football anything can happen – a red card and they can score one or two goals …. We're almost in the quarter-finals, we're almost champions of the Premier League, but we're not in the quarter-finals, we're not champions – that's why we have to be calm.
Raphaël Wicky, Basel coach
I could say, "You have to believe" but it'd look a bit daft. We have to set other targets. At the moment City are one of the best two teams in the world. It's the second year under Pep and the team has moved up to another level. I've told my players, "It's incredible Basel are still in Europe at the start of March. We've worked hard to get here, we're in a very difficult position but we have to enjoy this game and give it our all, forget the first leg".