And ahead of kick off, we’ve taken a closer look at the Swiss outfit.
Form
With four defeats in their last five games (all without scoring), Basel are enduring a poor run of form.
Raphael Wicky’s side were last victorious in the game before City’s visit to St. Jakob-Park - a 2-0 triumph at Thun - but have since fallen to defeat against the Blues, St. Gallen and Young Boys.
The Swiss side were relishing the chance to return to winning ways (and close Young Boys’ gap atop the league table) in their derby with Zurich at the weekend - only for the game to be postponed due to a power failure.
READ: Which TV channel is City v Basel on?
WATCH: City v Basel match highlights
Playing style
Basel boast plenty of young talent. Employing a 3-4-3 system, they thrive on pace and flair on the flanks.
Dangerman
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.
The view from opposition manager, Raphael Wicky...
“I could say ‘you have to believe’ but it’d look a bit daft. We have to set other targets.
“At the moment City are one of the best two teams in the world. It’s the second year under Pep and the team has moved up to another level. I’ve told my players, “It’s incredible Basel are still in Europe at the start of March.
“We’ve worked hard to get here, we’re in a very difficult position but we have to enjoy this game and give it our all, forget the first leg”.
Team news
Eder Balanta and Samuele Campo are injured, while Germano Vailati faces a late fitness test. Taulant Xhaka is suspended, while Raoul Petretta, Luca Zuffi and Renato Steffen may earn recalls.
Stats
• This is Basel’s third appearance in the UEFA Champions League round of 16. In the 2011/12 campaign, they beat Bayern Munich 1-0 in the home first leg only to lose 7-0 away – their biggest defeat in UEFA competition.
• In the 2014/15 season, Basel drew 1-1 at home to Porto – Danilo scored Porto’s goal from the penalty spot – but suffered another heavy away defeat, going down 4-0 in Portugal.
• Wicky’s team have already enjoyed success against a Manchester club in this season’s competition, beating Manchester United 1-0 in Switzerland, having lost 3-0 at Old Trafford in the opening round of games. They finished second behind the English side in Group A, collecting 12 points – their highest total in a UEFA Champions League group stage.
• Basel’s record against English teams is W7 D8 L13. Away, it is W1 D5 L8. Having avoided defeat on their first five trips to England in the UEFA Champions League (W1 D4), Basel have now
lost their last two away games.
