THIS IS SANE BACK SO QUICKLY
LEROY SANE is poised to make a shock return for Manchester City in the Champions League tonight – five weeks ahead of schedule.
Sane was expected to be out for up to seven weeks after suffering ankle ligament damage after being on the receiving end of a horror challenge in City’s FA Cup win at Cardiff. The expected loss of Sane for a prolonged period was a major factor in City making their ultimately unsuccessful £60million bid for Leicester’s Riyad Mahrez. But Sane has made a remarkable recovery and is pushing for a starting place. City boss Pep Guardiola said: “I’m surprised. “He’s not in perfect condition, but wants to help us. The physios and him have done a good job.”
David Silva is also expected to return, while skipper Vincent Kompany could start. BASEL MAN CITY TV TIMES: Live on BT Sport 3 from 7pm BASEL coach Raphael Wicky admits Manchester City have “no weaknesses”.
Basel beat Manchester United 1-0 in the group stage to advance to the knockout phase.
But Wicky knows that facing the runaway Premier League leaders is an altogether different prospect.
He said: “The team has no weaknesses, they show that every three days in all competitions.
“They are a very flexible team and are able to react very well to the opposition. We don’t have to talk about the quality of the opponents or the coach.
“Pep Guardiola’s way of football, his philosophy that he developed at Barcelona and then Bayern Munich – you can see that now at Manchester City.”
Wicky reckons Basel need to have the “perfect night” if they are to have any chance of a major upset by beating City in the first leg of their last-16 tie.
He added: “We need a perfect night, with a lot of courage, emotion and the fans, for us to stage a surprise. We have the belief that we can do it, but there is no great tactical plan.”