• Champions League

Aguero can 'destroy' Barcelona, warns Mascherano

ESPN staff
March 12, 2014
Do City have a chance?


Javier Mascherano has warned Sergio Aguero has the ability to "destroy" Barcelona and believes Manchester City's top scorer is one of the world's top five forwards.

Barcelona face City at the Nou Camp in the Champions League on Wednesday with a 2-0 lead after February's first leg, which Aguero missed because of a hamstring injury.

But the 26-goal attacker is fit again and his Argentina team-mate Mascherano, who could find himself charged with stopping his compatriot, is wary of Aguero in the last 16 clash.

"Sergio is someone I know well and for me is one of the five best strikers in the world," Mascherano said.

"Given space he is the type of player who can destroy you so we have to ensure he doesn't get that space and doesn't feel comfortable."

While Aguero has not scored since recovering from injury in two appearances, City have struck 122 times this season.

With their strikers enduring a rare barren spell, they need to score at least two more in the Nou Camp and Mascherano predicts they will be particularly positive.

"I think we are going to see Man City go all out to attack. That is the way they normally play and with the result they'll need to do that more than ever," he added.

Barcelona have lost three of their last six matches but Mascherano laughed off talk of decline.

"It is March now, there are still about two months of the season left and we have a great chance of achieving great things. Wait until we are dead to kill us, but we are not dead yet," he said.

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd
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