Manchester City midfielder Yaya Toure has reportedly urged his side to prove that they have emerged as a major European force by beating his former team Barcelona in the knockout phases of the Champions League.
The two sides face off in the first leg of their tie at City's Etihad Stadium on Tuesday, when the home side will be making their first appearance in the competition's last 16.
According to Sport24, although Barcelona has reached the semi-finals of the tournament for the last six seasons in a row and has won it in 2009 and 2011, but Toure said that tackling the leading sides is a key stage in City's development and believes that his team has the players necessary to cause problems for Barcelona.
Stating that City has the quality and the team needed to overcome Barcelona, Toure also said that they are having good results at the moment, adding that if they need to move on to be one of the top clubs in the world, they have to play against the current powerhouses.
The Ivory Coast international, who swapped Barcelona for City in July 2010, said that he has no regrets about leaving as even though he helped his former side amass seven trophies, he believes that it was the right time for time to move on.
