Nasri Says Man City Are Ready For Barcelona

Manchester City midfielder Samir Nasri told his teammates on Monday that they must shed any sense of inferiority if they are to outwit Barcelona in the Champions League last 16.
.
Nasri was a member of the City team beaten 4-1 on aggregate by Barcelona at the same stage of last season’s competition, which was the third time he had fallen foul of the Catalan giants in his career.
.
Barcelona are favourites to progress ahead of Tuesday’s reunion at the Etihad Stadium, but with an extra year’s experience and a close to full-strength squad, Nasri feels City are now a different prospect.
.
“I think we respected them too much,” the former Arsenal midfielder said when asked if City had approached last season’s tie too cautiously.
.
“But we weren’t experienced to compete with a club like this. They know how to play this kind of game. They know how to win the Champions League and it was the first time we’d been through the group stage.
.
“I think it was too much of a big game. We were not ready, but this year is totally different. We know what we are capable of. We’re not going to be scared and we’re going to play to win.”
.
City will be missing Yaya Toure through suspension, but in contrast to last season’s encounter with Barcelona, they have Sergio Aguero fully fit and close to peak form.
.
The Argentina striker missed last season’s 2-0 first-leg defeat at the Etihad with a hamstring injury and lasted only 45 minutes in the second leg before being replaced by Edin Dzeko.
.
But he has grown in sharpness following a recent lay-off with knee ligament damage, scoring three times in his last two games, and Nasri believes he is the equal of all but Lionel Messi in the Barcelona team.