Onuoha backing City to last the pace
Thursday 16 April 2009
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Nedum Onuoha discounts any notions that City are tired (©Getty Images)
Manchester City FC defender Nedum Onuoha is confident his team have the legs to outlast Hamburger SV in the UEFA Cup quarter-finals, even though their European adventure began fully nine months ago.
Long road
City kicked off their campaign, as beneficiaries of the UEFA Fair Play competition, in the first qualifying round on 17 July, yet according to centre-back Onuoha they are far from running out of steam. The 22-year-old believes the Premier League side can summon the necessary energy to overturn a 3-1 first-leg deficit against Bundesliga heavyweights Hamburger SV and reach the semi-finals.
Keeping fresh
"Some of our lads have played since the second week in July, but with the conditioning team we have at the club, we are ready to play the next game and give everything we have," said City academy product Onuoha. Indeed, with the blue side of Manchester having come through five knockout ties so far, in addition to winning their section in the group stage, Onuoha is determined to drag out this continental journey until the not-so-bitter end – the final in Istanbul on 20 May.
Belief
"I am just enjoying every game," said the Nigerian-born England Under-21 international, who has played 78 top-flight matches for City. "With the squad we have, we are very ambitious and also very confident people as well. At home, all the players fancy themselves and believe that they will get a result, whatever the opposition."
Tough examination
Mark Hughes's men found out to their cost last Thursday the strength of opponents Hamburg, with the German title challengers providing an arguably sterner test than City's previous knockout rivals – Danish clubs Aalborg BK, FC København and FC Midtjylland, Cyprus's AC Omonia and EB/Streymur of the Faroe Islands. However, Onuoha expects a much improved second-leg performance from a home side still with a foothold in the contest thanks to Stephen Ireland's away goal.
'Concentrate'
"They are quite a big team and this time we have to match them both physically and in one-on-one situations. We have to concentrate," he said. Sunday's 3-1 home defeat by Fulham FC in the league gave mid-table City further cause to refocus on a tie which, if won, will give new meaning to their season. "The weekend result came down to personal mistakes from some of our players and you can't really legislate for that. But there is so much potential here it is incredible."
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