AaB v Man City preview

19 March 2009 09:25
Manchester City face Aalborg on Thursday night boasting a commanding position in their last-16 Uefa Cup clash. Mark Hughes' men claimed a 2-0 triumph in the first leg of their tie at Eastlands last week. And the Premier League club will be confident of finishing the job against the Danish champions. They travel to Denmark for the third time this season with their sights set on joining the likes of Werder Bremen and Marseille in the last eight. Hughes could see this competition as an ideal platform for the club as they look to match their ambitions by lifting the trophy in Istanbul on 20th May. City striker Craig Bellamy will not feature despite reports suggesting the Wales captain, who has been out since the start of the month with a knee injury, could make a surprise return. Vincent Kompany (toe) will be given a late fitness test while Robinho (ankle) has been passed fit. Nigel de Jong is not registered. For the home side, as many as five first-team players are set to miss out. Magnus Pehrsson's side need to score at least twice to make it to the quarter-finals, with midfielder Thomas Enevoldsen's suspension arguably the least of their problems. Dutch defender Steve Olfers will definitely miss the game, along with forward Jeppe Curth, who has been ruled out with a foot injury sustained on Sunday Central defensive partners Kjetil Waehler and Michael Beauchamp are also likely to be absent, with both nursing injuries.

Source: SKY_Sports