"Manchester City don't have any weaknesses" says Basel's Wicky

Basel will need to be "perfect" if they are to beat a Manchester City team that has "basically no weaknesses", according to coach Raphaël Wicky. City head to the Swiss champions in the opening leg of their Champions League last-16 clash on Tuesday as strong favourites to progress to the quarter finals.

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Just two defeats

Pep Guardiola's men have been irresistible this season, losing just twice – Liverpool and Shakhtar Donetsk have been the only sides capable of beating them so far. And, although Wicky's side defeated Manchester United in the group stage, the former Hamburg and Atlético de Madrid midfielder acknowledges City are an entirely different beast.

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Everything has to be perfect, says Basel boss

"We always have a plan and get prepared," Wicky told reporters. "For the match, we want to keep our chances high, but I have no real tactical strategy. If we, Basel, fight in such competitions, we need a perfect game on a perfect day, playing with a lot of courage. And our supporters need to be there to make the night victorious for us. We need a perfect night if we are to stage a surprise. We have to believe, have the mentality that we can do it, but there is no real tactical plan behind it."

Wicky could be accused of adopting a risky approach, but he believes devising a detailed plan would be fruitless against a side showing few chinks in the armour. "The team has basically no weaknesses," he continued. "They show that every three days in all competitions they participate in. They are a very flexible team, very variable, and can react very well to the opponent. I don't have to talk about the quality of their player and of the coach as well. You can see now the system and the philosophy he had at Bayern Munich and Barcelona before that is showing now at Manchester City."