Football
Jonathan Smith, Manchester City correspondent 8y

Man City striker Sergio Aguero like Romario - PSG defender Maxwell

PARIS -- Paris Saint-Germain defender Maxwell has warned his teammates that they must stop Manchester City striker Sergio Aguero on Wednesday if they are to reach the semifinals of the Champions League.

Aguero, 27, has played only four games in the Champions League this season after hamstring and heel injuries earlier in the season. But his two goals in the competition have come away from home -- at Borussia Monchengladbach and Dynamo Kiev -- and both were crucial to City reaching the quarterfinals for the first time.

Brazil international Maxwell knows his importance and compared the striker to Brazil legend Romario ahead of their first leg clash at the Parc des Princes, insisting PSG must prevent him from scoring another vital away goal in the French capital.

"Kun Aguero is a great player -- he has a lot of quality and a lot of skills," he told a news conference. "He's like Romario in Brazil: he's small, strong, fast. He has a lot of qualities.

"He is a real strength in this Manchester City team and we will not allow him to have any space. The same for the other players, they also show great qualities, great skills. We will try to stop them having space and making the difference."

PSG head into the game as many people's favourites and Maxwell added that the team were confident that they could reach the semifinals for the first time in history.

"In such a match it is dangerous to be too optimistic," he said. "We are confident, we have a lot of ambition, but we have a lot of respect for this Manchester City team and its players.

"We are aware they can beat us, but we also have the qualities to get through this round. It will be a very interesting game and we will do everything we can to qualify and show them as much respect as possible."

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