Yaya Toure warning Manchester City against Champions League complacency

09 March 2017 23:23

Yaya Toure has warned Manchester City's Champions League tie against Monaco is hardly a foregone conclusion given Barcelona's sensational comeback this week.

Barca overturned a 4-0 first-leg deficit to reach the quarter-finals with an incredible 6-1 win over Paris Saint-Germain at the Nou Camp on Wednesday.

City's own last-16 tie resumes next week when they travel to Monaco with a 5-3 lead following the first encounter at the Etihad Stadium a fortnight ago.

It is the second of two knockout games City will be expected to win in the coming days after an FA Cup quarter-final at relegation-threatened Middlesbrough on Saturday.

But asked about Barcelona, midfielder Toure said: "Anything can happen. You just have to be focused and not believe you're already going through.

"We have to be careful because those guys have played less games than us. First we have to start on Saturday, which is going to be tough.

"After then it's Monaco, which is going to be very, very tough. They play very well and are clever. These two games coming are tough to be honest."

City have been unable to maintain a strong Premier League title challenge this season and their prospects now look even more remote following Wednesday's goalless draw with Stoke.

They trail leaders Chelsea by 10 points with 11 games remaining and the cup competitions appear to represent their best chances of silverware this season.

Toure said: "We've got two games now where we need all the players. We have to try to do the business, Middlesbrough is going to be a tough, tough game. They've had a rest for a week.

"We'll try to do our best and of course one trophy would be very welcome for us."

Toure, however, is not ruling out a late title charge.

The 33-year-old, who helped City to league glory in 2012 and 2014, said: "It's not impossible - we can still do it - but we have to take it a game at a time."

Toure denies tiredness is catching up with City after their failure to see off Stoke.

Manager Pep Guardiola rested Raheem Sterling and John Stones for the game and only introduced the influential David Silva in the second half.

Toure said: "When you see all the game, there were chances for us. At the last minute or at the last moment we missed concentration, missing big chances.

"In the past we would have lost this kind of game because we get frustrated, attack like crazy and then get hit on the counter.

"We can't say it is fatigue because in the last minutes we missed chances. We were very unlucky."

Source: PA