Sergio Aguero is fit to face Borussia Monchengladbach in Manchester City’s rearranged Champions League group-stage opener at the Etihad on Wednesday.

Tuesday’s tie was postponed after the Etihad pitch was left unplayable by a spell of incessant rain, as well as a spectacular thunder and lightning storm, in Manchester and nearby areas.

Aguero missed the derby win over Manchester United through suspension, but Pep Guardiola has confirmed the City forward can play against the Bundesliga side.

Guardiola, who revealed Ilkay Gundogan and Vincent Kompany are closing in on a first-team return, said: “Aguero can play – he was banned, not injured. Naijabet

“Gundogan every day and every week is much, much better. Vincent is in the same situation – he’s training hard. All of the players who didn’t face United did hard training and he trained really good.

“They are almost there to help us play the next six games in the next 18 days.”

City reached the Champions League semi-final for the first time last season, but were knocked out by eventual champions, Real Madrid.

Guardiola, who admitted his side have a tough opener to the new campaign, added: “Borussia are a brave team, a brave coach – one of the best teams in Europe. If we let them play, they have a lot of quality. The draw was difficult for us – of course because of Barcelona but also Monchengladbach.

“They are so, so intelligent. The players in the middle – they are so, so offensive. They receive five players behind our midfield. They counter-attack like a master. Like a German team. They do it well.”

Team news

Fabian Delph and Fernando both missed training on Monday through injury.

Kompany continues to train and is close to returning after a thigh injury while new midfielder Gundogan is also nearing a debut after knee trouble. Midfielder Yaya Toure is not registered for the competition.

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Monchengladbach have won only one of their six games against English clubs in all competitions – a 3-2 win over Arsenal in the UEFA Cup in September 1996.

Wednesday’s clash will be Man City’s sixth consecutive Champions League participation.

This is Borussia Monchengladbach’s second consecutive Champions League group stage participation, after failing to qualify for any of the previous 23 campaigns.

Aguero has failed to score in his last five Champions League games, his longest drought in the competition since his run of five games without a goal between November 2011 and October 2012.

Naijabet odds

Manchester City are 1.39 with Naija Bet to kick-off the Champions League group stages with a victory, while Borussia Monchengladbach are 7.99 to cause an upset and 5.41 to hold their hosts to a draw.

The midfielder Casemiro is expecting a difficult match against the Bundesliga side but Marcel Schafer believes the hosts’ chances of progressing to the last four are low

Casemiro is living the dream at Real Madrid by playing in the Champions League as his side prepare to take on Wolfsburg in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final tie on Wednesday.

The midfielder, 24, has become a key figure with the Santiago Bernabeu side in recent weeks and impressed in Saturday’s victory over Barcelona in El Clasico at Camp Nou.

Casemiro revealed he is delighted to be playing in Europe’s elite club competition and expects Wolfsburg to pose a stern test in Germany, but nonetheless wants Madrid to play their own game as they chase glory under Zinedine Zidane.

“Every [side] Real Madrid could have faced would have been difficult because there are no easy teams,” he told Uefa

“We need to respect Wolfsburg because we know they have some great players, but we have to respect them while playing our own game, our happy football.

“I left Brazil with the mentality of wanting to win in life. I always hold my head up high. I had a dream to play in the Champions League, so every time I play for Real Madrid – and in the Champions League – I try to enjoy it as much as possible because it’s the realisation of a dream.”

Real Madrid will have to make do without the services of Raphael Varane due to a calf injury, but they will be brimming with confidence following the 2-1 win over arch-rivals Barca which was sealed by Cristiano Ronaldo’s late winner after Sergio Ramos had been sent off.

Wolfsburg, meanwhile, have little reason for optimism following their recent form. Dieter Hecking’s men were beaten 3-0 by Bayer Leverkusen on Friday, meaning they are now three games without a win and down in eighth in the Bundesliga – seven points outside the top four with six games remaining.

Consequently, Marcel Schafer feels Wolfsburg only have a very slim chance to spring a surprise, even though they are relishing the challenge of testing themselves at the highest level.

“Last season we worked our asses off to make it into the Champions League,” Schafer said to Uefa

“Now we have made history for the club by reaching the quarter-finals and we are playing one of the world’s best teams.

“When you think that 20 or 25 years ago you were watching Real Madrid on TV, and now you have got the chance to play against them, it is a fantastic challenge.

“We know we only have a very small chance, but you go onto the pitch to be successful and that’s what we want to do against Real as well. We have nothing to lose.”

Hecking will be without Sebastian Jung due to a knee injury, while Daniel Caligiuri and Bas Dost are doubtful.

This is Wolfsburg and Real Madrid’s first-ever competitive encounter.

The Gunners look set to miss out on the Champions League quarter-finals once more but the Barca centre-back has warned his teammates not to underestimate his former club

Thomas Vermaelen has urged Barcelona not to underestimate his former Arsenal team-mates when the sides conclude their Champions League last-16 tie at Camp Nou on Wednesday.

Holders Barca secured a 2-0 advantage during the closing stages of a keenly contested match at Emirates Stadium three weeks ago, with Lionel Messi netting a late brace.

Luis Enrique’s men are chasing their 10th consecutive home win in Europe’s premier competition but, despite the fact Arsenal appear to be on course to once again miss out on a quarter-final berth they were last able to claim in 2010, Vermaelen is taking nothing for granted.

“It won’t be an easy game at all,” the Belgium defender, who swapped north London for Catalonia in August 2014, told Barcelona’s official website.

“Although we have a small lead, you can never say that they are out. They have very quick players and that makes them dangerous. We’ll need to concentrate.

“It is two different team [who are] very similar in the way they play. They look to play a passing game and keep the ball on the ground. They don’t go for long balls.

“It would be incredible to win [the Champions League] again but there’s still a long way to go. There are lots of games left and we’ll have to work hard if we want to do it.”

While Barca are sitting pretty at the top of La Liga, Arsenal’s Premier League title challenge has floundered on the back of three winless outings.

The pressure on long-serving manager Arsene Wenger was further increased by a shock FA Cup quarter-final defeat to Watford on Sunday.

Per Mertesacker underlined the fine margins Arsenal must hit on Tuesday – bemoaning a tension that undermined their work against Watford before warning that there is no margin for error at Camp Nou.

“We were not relaxed against Watford. Even in the box we played and always found good positions, with the man in the right position but we lacked that relaxation even to hit the target,” the centre-back told his club’s official website. “We did not do that sometimes. We missed it too often.

“We cannot afford to concede against Barcelona. We have to go there and try to attack, no matter what, that is the only possibility we have. We can be fortunate to have such big game in front of us.

“They are the ultimate team at the minute, so we are straight away under pressure and we have to go away from home. I think the confidence is there, we are just missing something.

“The season is not over. We play in a confident way, we maybe lack that bit at the end. The desire to play together and to be good as a team is there, you can feel that.”

The task for Mertesacker and his defensive colleagues will be made more difficult by Luis Suarez’s expected return to the Barcelona starting line-up – the Uruguay striker having rested as his colleagues routed Getafe 6-0 on Saturday.

Danny Welbeck and Theo Walcott provide options for Wenger to bolster his attack with pace in search of the goals required, the former having come off the bench to net a late consolation as Watford held on for a 2-1 win.

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Marco Verratti has claimed Diego Costa “uses warfare to win games” ahead of Paris Saint-Germain’s Champions League trip to Chelsea.

Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Marco Verratti has warned his team-mates to be on their guard for Diego Costa’s “warfare” when they visit Chelsea in the second leg of their Champions League last-16 tie.

For the third season in succession, the reigning Ligue 1 and Premier League champions have been paired together in the knockout rounds, with each side claiming a slender away goals aggregate triumph apiece so far.

Similarly, the latest tie is finely poised – PSG holding a 2-1 advantage thanks to goals from Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Edinson Cavani either side of John Obi Mikel’s equaliser at the Parc des Princes.

Chelsea boss Guus Hiddink is set to recall Costa to lead the attack after the striker sat out Saturday’s 1-1 Premier League draw against Stoke City due to a tendon problem.

Italy international Verratti professes admiration for Cesc Fabregas although he also admits a grudging respect for Costa’s uncompromising playing style, through which on-field confrontations with opponents are seemingly inevitable.

“I prefer entertaining football, but having a personality like Costa in your team is always good,” Verratti told the Guardian.

“He uses warfare to win the games, but I know him, he’s a good guy who transforms when he comes on the pitch.

“If I was to pick a player that I identify with in this Chelsea team it would be Cesc Fabregas. He makes you see what the game is about, he breathes football and you can tell by his way of playing how much he loves it.”

Verratti was not overly satisfied with PSG’s performance in the opening leg and is keen to avoid the “disaster” of elimination at Stamford Bridge.

“We confirmed we are a good team, but there are things we could have done better,” he said. “We could have put Chelsea in more trouble. We have to go to London and play our football, if we do anything else we’ll be in trouble.

“We need to keep the possession of the ball, attack and go for an early goal. These are the games that we wait for all season. Being eliminated in the Champions League would be a bit of a disaster.”

Verratti hopes to shake off lingering issues with a groin complaint to face Chelsea, with fellow midfielder Blaise Matuidi battling to overcome a thigh injury after Angel Di Maria returned to action for Saturday’s goalless draw against Montpellier.

Willian has starred for Chelsea in this season’s competition with five goals in seven appearances.

The Brazil winger was one of few players to emerge with any credit from Chelsea’s woeful start to their Premier League defence and, following a collective upturn since Hiddink replaced Jose Mourinho, he wants to reward the veteran tactician with silverware.

“We always have pressure to win titles at Chelsea and we know that,” he told the club’s official website. “We have to stay concentrated on this game.

“I hope we can give Guus a title. It would be great for us and for him so we will try our best to do that.”

Chelsea are set to be without captain John Terry once more, with the centre-back still troubled by a hamstring injury that has ruled him out of the past five matches. Former Barcelona winger Pedro could return from a similar complaint to boost Hiddink’s attacking options.

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NaiajBet Odds

As at this post Chelsea’s  has 2.81  odd to win the match on NaijaBet while Paris SG has 2.66 odd to win the match also, while the odd to draw the match is 3.37