MANCHESTER // Pablo Zabaleta has taken heart from last week’s surprise scorelines in the Uefa Champions League to believe Manchester City can beat Barcelona at Camp Nou tomorrow.
City trail Luis Enrique’s side 2-1 after last month’s first-leg defeat at the Etihad Stadium.
Zabaleta accepts they are outsiders to overturn that deficit tomorrow and eliminate the four-time winners.
But the former Espanyol defender noted that Schalke won 4-3 against Real Madrid at the Bernabeu, even if it was not enough to secure a place in the last eight for Roberto di Matteo’s side, and that Paris Saint-Germain, despite being reduced to 10 men after half an hour, drew 2-2 with Chelsea at Stamford Bridge to reach the quarter-finals.
“If you look at the game Real Madrid played against Schalke and the same with Chelsea and PSG, it shows anything can happen in football,” Zabaleta said.
“That’s why we need to go to Barca with confidence with belief and try to do our best to win that game.
“Now we are going to play against one of the best teams in the world.
“It’s not going to be easy but nothing is impossible in football. You have to be ready for these moments.”
City’s Champions League record is underwhelming, and they have never progressed beyond the last 16, while a recent run of just three wins in 11 games is unimpressive Zabaleta believes they have a chance of recording a landmark win.
“This is not our best,” he said. “We need to look at ourselves and be self-critical. You just have to move on to the next game and try to win it. That’s what football is. Things can change on games like this.
“We have played in this competition for four years. It’s a competition we want to make progress in. Hopefully we can do it.”
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