‘Mission impossible’ for Man City and Roma

Premier League leaders Manchester City and Serie A outfit Roma face an almost impossible mission today as they face Liverpool and Barcelona respectively in the return legs of the UEFA Champions League quarter finals.

"We need titles in Europe," Guardiola said yesterday, a day before the Champions League quarterfinal second leg against Liverpool. "It's so complicated but you need nights that make the people understand it."

Complicated because, however much City's ownership and manager crave a first European Cup, the fans don't seem to have as much affection for the Champions League. That will be clear when jeers drown out the competition anthem on Tuesday. Four years on, fans are still aggrieved that UEFA punished City for a bout of heavy spending to replenish the squad to enable the team to break into the European elite.

City has yet to get past the semifinals.

Reaching that stage even is complicated this season after losing last week's quarterfinal first leg at Liverpool 3-0.

"A perfect game," is what Guardiola said is required against Juergen Klopp's side. "What you have to do is an emotional game."

Without cranking up the pressure too much on the players.

"We have to be clinical," Guardiola said, "and if we are not clinical then move on to the next one."

But the prospects of a recovery might be complicated if the players are still demoralized after collapsing to Manchester United on Saturday: A 2-0 halftime lead became a 3-2 loss. It denied Guardiola the chance to clinch the Premier League at the earliest stage.

Guardiola will be hoping there's no lingering psychological impact.

Meanwhile Liverpool's hopes of having Mohamed Salah available for its Champions League quarterfinal second leg against Manchester City were boosted when the forward took part in training yesterday.

Last week, the Egypt international came off because of a groin injury in the second half of Liverpool's 3-0 victory in the first leg at Anfield. He was then ruled out of the 0-0 draw with Everton in the English Premier League on Saturday.

Asked about Salah's availability for today's game at Etihad Stadium, Liverpool manager Juergen Klopp said before training he was "not sure 100 percent" and he would make a late decision.

Salah has 38 goals in all competitions in his first season at Liverpool.

Klopp is without two midfielders for the game, with Emre Can injured and Jordan Henderson suspended.

Georginio Wijnaldum is set to be deployed in the holding role

— Eusebio Di Francesco implored his Roma players to pull off the "unthinkable" against Barcelona.

Roma has an away goal but trails Barcelona 4-1 going into the second leg of their Champions League quarterfinal today.

Having reached the last eight for the first time in a decade, Roma feels it has nothing to lose against the likes of Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez.

"We have the chance to do something unthinkable, considering that they practically haven't lost — a miracle if you will," Di Francesco said on Monday.

Barcelona is undefeated in the Spanish league and the Champions League. Its only three losses came in both legs of the Spanish Super Cup to Real Madrid in August and to Espanyol in the first leg of the Copa del Rey quarterfinals in January.

"We've got the duty to try," Di Francesco said. "Let's remember the home match against Chelsea but let's also remember that we're facing an armada."

Roma was thoroughly impressive in beating Chelsea 3-0 in the group stage, and can also take inspiration from the last time it hosted Barcelona.

In the 2015-16 group stage, Roma held Barcelona to 1-1 courtesy of Alessandro Florenzi's astonishing equalizer from near the halfway line.

But Barcelona routed Roma 6-1 in the reverse fixture in Spain much like it manhandled the Giallorossi last week at the Camp Nou.

SPAIN

La Liga Yesterday Villarreal-Athletic Bilbao ................... 1-3

GERMANY

Bundesliga Yesterday RB Leipzig-B.Leverkusen ................... 1-4

ITALY

Serie B Yesterday Avellino-Perugia ............................... 2-0

Serie C - Group C Yesterday Catania-Juve Stabia .......................... 0-0