Manchester City were clear favourites to reach the quarter-final when this draw was made, but few people expected them to almost finish the job in the first leg. The Cityzens ran out 4-0 victors in that game in Switzerland, putting one foot firmly in the next round.
Pep Guardiola’s men surprisingly lost 1-0 to Wigan in their very next game, but they have followed that disappointment up with 3 straight wins, 2 against Arsenal and 1 against Chelsea, netting 7 times and conceding none. They could rest a few players for this game, but the team is filled with top quality even on the bench.
FC Basel have struggled since the first leg of this game, going on to lose to St Gallen and Young Boys after that match. They come into this game with no match action since the 27th of last month due to postponements.
They netted in 5 of their 7 Champions League games this season, and finished ahead of Benfica and CSKA Moscow to set up this match, they would be looking to at least pull one goal back in this game as they would be under less pressure to perform.
The first leg last month was the first time these sides have ever met.
