David Silva is set to return to Manchester City’s starting line-up for their Champions League quarter-final second leg against Paris Saint-Germain at the Etihad Stadium on Tuesday.
Silva was left out of Saturday’s 2-1 win over West Bromwich Albion due to a long-standing ankle complaint, but with Raheem Sterling still absent with a groin injury and Samir Nasri ineligible, the Spain international will be recalled to face the French champions.
City and PSG are currently locked at 2-2 after an entertaining and open first leg at the Parc des Princes.
Team news
City captain Vincent Kompany has been ruled out by manager Manuel Pellegrini with a calf injury he sustained against Dynamo Kiev in the last round. He trained on Monday morning but Pellegrini said he was “not 100 per cent”.
Kompany is set to be replaced in the starting line-up by Nicolas Otamendi, who suffered an ankle injury against West Brom and missed Monday’s training but was declared fit to play by his manager.
Sergio Aguero also suffered a knock – to his Achilles tendon – against West Brom, but like Otamendi, he is expected to start.
PSG are without suspended duo Blaise Matuidi and David Luiz, while, Marco Verratti needs a “miracle” to be fit for the clash, says manager Laurent Blanc.
Verratti has not played since injuring his groin during PSG’s 4-1 Ligue 1 win at home to Reims on February 20.
Opta stats
The omens for City look good given that 82 per cent of teams who drew 2-2 away in the first leg of Champion League ties progressed to the next round.
They can also take heart from the fact that PSG have won only one of their past seven away games against English opposition and have been knocked out of the Champions League at the quarter-final stage in each of the past three years.
However, there are also factors for City to worry about. PSG have scored two goals or more in all of their past five Champions League games and City have kept only one clean sheet in their nine Champions League games so far this season, so Pellegrini’s team could finding themselves needing to score at least twice.
Lucky, then, that Aguero is fit to start, because the Argentine striker has netted in 16 goals in his past 19 Champions League starts.
But City don’t rely solely on Aguero for goals, as their last seven in the Champions League have been scored by seven different players.
At the other end, the man City need to keep closest tabs on is predictably Zlatan Ibrahimovic, who has scored in each of his past five Champions League games and has either scored or assisted six of PSG’s last eight Champions League goals.
UEFA Champions League Preview: Manchester City vs PSG
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