Manchester City defender Vincent Kompany was in confident mood ahead of his side’s tie against Barcelona in the UEFA Champions League.
When asked if City fear the attacking talent that Barcelona possess, Kompany replied in a positive way, a Fear? We dona t fear them. You dona t go in at this level fearing strikers.
a We want to play against them. It will be the fourth time in a year. Therea s nothing new to worry us, ita s a case of having the whole team at a very high level.
Kompany added that facing Stoke City at the Britannia is probably an even tougher prospect, something that they have experienced over the years. This season, after losing to Stoke at home, City dispatched the Potters away from home and returned to thrash Newcastle by five goals on Saturday to reduce Chelsea’s lead at the top to five points.
a Theya re[Barcelona] a special team with special players, of course. I think their ability is not about hurting you all game – you can have tougher games when you go to Stoke City.
a Ita s about the fact they can decide a game within a second. They have more players than anyone else in the world who can finish games with a touch of magic.
“But Ia ve come into football to play those games. The moment Ia m feeling reluctant to play in these games, Ia m not in the right place. This is what I want.
a The history of this club tells you that in the past six years we always keep progressing,a said the defender. a Ita s only a matter of time.
a Our team has proved our determination in recent years. Thata s one thing when you look back on this team in the future, you wona t be able to say we did not have determination.
a Wea ve always come back. Wea re putting in a fight again for the Premier League and wea ll put in a fight for the Champions League too,a the 28-year old added.
Manchester City host Barcelona in the first leg and will want to take a lead to the second leg at Camp Now a few weeks later. Barcelona aren’t in the best of form as new summer signing Luis Suarez has struggled to find the net despite some good performances. The Blaugrana lost to Malaga at home in the weekend and are now four points behind Real Madrid in the league. The loss could potentially affect them against the Premier League holders who are in good form after a patchy start to February.