UEFA Cup Last 16: Aalborg - Manchester City

The designated mission for Manchester City on Thursday night will be to secure their passage into the quarter-final stage of a European competition for the first time in thirty years - a prospect that was a step closer to becoming a realistic expectation after securing a vital 2-0 first-leg victory at home to reigning Danish Superliga champions AaB Aalborg.

The tag as favourites has acted only as a burden for which team is has occupied throughout the season and should Manchester City buckle under the pressure in unprecedented implosive fashion, Mark Hughes will be forced to answer an increasing number of uncomfortable questions regarding his future. On the flip side of the coin, the opportunity to dust away the cobwebs in the trophy cabinet has never materialised itself so convincingly as this season and while the UEFA Cup’s reputation continues to orbit around a point of inferiority, it is the precise catalyst for success in the coming years and absolutely imperative for their message of ambition to be spread so assertively through the continent.



STARTING LINEUP
Aalborg
Karim Zaza, Kasper Bøgelund, Michael Beauchamp, Lasse Nielsen, Michael Jakobsen, Kasper Risgård, Thomas Augustinussen, Caca, Andreas Johansson, Anders Due, Luton Shelton.

Manchester City
Shay Given, Micah Richards, Richard Dunne, Nedum Onuoha, Wayne Bridge, Pablo Zabaleta, Shaun Wright-Phillips, Stephen Ireland, Vincent Kompany, Ched Evans, Robinho.