Location
The game will be played at FC Basel’s home ground: St. Jakob Park. The stadium has a capacity of 38,512 and is the largest football venue in Switzerland.
St. Jakob-Park was the scene for the Europa League final back in 2016 between Sevilla and Liverpool.
Road to the Round of 16
FC Basel finished as runners up Group A of the Champions League, below Manchester United and above CSKA Moscow and Benfica.
The Swiss side sealed a 1-0 victory over United at home but suffered a 3-0 defeat at Old Trafford. A 2-0 victory over Moscow and a 5-0 win against Benfica helped the Swiss side finish on 12 points in their group.
This is the third time Basel have made the last 16 of the competition, having qualified for the group stage eight times since the competition was revamped in 1992.
FC Basel form
Our upcoming opponents currently sit second to Young Boys in the Swiss Super League having sealed 12 wins, five draws and four losses. Their latest win was at the weekend with a 2-0 success against FC Thun.
Top scorer
Dmitri Oberlin tops the scoring charts with nine goals across all competitions. Right-back Michael Lang, former Norwich City forward Ricky van Wolfswinkel, striker and Albian Ajeti have all found the net eight times in the Swiss Super League, the Champions League and the Swiss Cup since the start of the season.
Opposition manager
Raphael Wicky has managed FC Basel since the beginning of the 2017/18 season. The 40-year-old moved up to take charge of the first team after coaching both Basel’s Under-18s and Under-23s over the past four years.
A defensive midfielder during his playing days, Wicky featured for clubs such as Atletico Madrid, Werder Bremen and Sion in addition to the Switzerland national side, before retiring in 2009 at USA side Chivas.
City links
Maurizo Gaudino, who spent a season on loan at City in the 90s, also enjoyed a one season stay at Basel, netting 10 times in 30 appearances.
Previous meetings
Our trip to St. Jakob Park will mark the first competitive meeting between City and FC Basel.
