Samir Nasri insists Manchester City can hurt Barcelona in tomorrow’s Champions League crunch clash.
Nasri saw his side dismantled in last month’s first leg with a Lionel Messi penalty and a strike from Daniel Alves leaving City with a mountain to climb in their visit to the Nou Camp.
The Frenchman pointed to Gerardo Martino’s side’s recent domestic troubles – where they lie four points off leaders Real Madrid in third spot in La Liga – as proof that a remarkable turnaround is on the cards.
“I think anything is possible in football,” Nasri said, who was at the press conference ahead of the tie without banned manager Manuel Pellegrini.
“I saw them this week against Valladolid [where Barcelona lost 1-0]. It just shows they are human.”
“They are a great team but we are not going to have any problem to respect them because we know it is a great team. We have to do everything from the start.
“We have nothing to lose. If you go there and you lose, it is no more but if you get a result it will be fantastic.
“I think we have nothing to lose. Just attack them from the start and try to score an early goal.”
City require three away goals to turn the tables on the Catalan giants, if they can stop them scoring.
Barca have struck ten goals in their last two home league games and haven’t failed to score at home since October 2011, when Sevilla held them to a goalless draw.
However, Blues supporters can draw hope from the Catalan side’s 3-2 to Valencia on home soil last month.
Meanwhile, former Barcelona man Yaya Toure has been voted as Manchester City’s Etihad Player of the Month for February.
The Ivoirian midfielder received two thirds of the vote from Blues supporters, beating David Silva and captain Vincent Kompany into second and third respectively.
While it was a mixed month for Manuel Pellegrini’s men, Toure’s most important contribution came as he grabbed an important goal to keep City in the Premier League title hunt with the winner at home to Stoke.
Toure also escaped an FA sanction for an alleged off-the-ball stamp on Norwich attacker Ricky van Wolfswinkel as City faltered to a goalless draw at Carrow Road.
With an FA Cup win over Chelsea avenging their crucial home defeat to Mourinho’s men at the start of the month, which saw the Citizens surrender their unbeaten home record, Pellegrini had hopes of a domestic trophy double.
Toure’s wonder strike helped him to his first trophy at the club in the Capital One Cup Final win over Sunderland to start March before Wigan dashed hopes of a repeat in the FA Cup with a shock 2-1 win at The Etihad.
One lucky voter will receive a personal video message from the big midfielder as a prize for voting.
Image courtesy of $u, with thanks.
