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Vincent Kompany insists Manchester City do not fear Barcelona, claiming playing at Stoke can be tougher.

Kompany refuses to be daunted by Barcelona’s star-studded attack of Messi, Neymar and Suarez and says he is relishing tomorrow’s Champions League showdown at the Etihad.

“Fear?” said City’s captain. “We don’t fear them. You don’t go in at this level fearing strikers.

“We want to play against them. It will be the fourth time in a year. There’s nothing new to worry us, it’s a case of having the whole team at a very high level.

“They’re a special team with special players, of course. I think their ability is not about hurting you all game - you can have tougher games when you go to Stoke City.

“It’s about the fact they can decide a game within a second. They have more players than anyone else in the world who can finish games with a touch of magic.

Gallery: Manchester City win at Stoke City

“But I’ve come into football to play those games. The moment I’m feeling reluctant to play in these games, I’m not in the right place. This is what I want.”

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Barcelona dumped City out at the last 16 stage 12 months ago and Kompany is adamant the Blues will eventually win the Champions League.

“The history of this club tells you that in the past six years we always keep progressing,” said the defender. “It’s only a matter of time.

“Our team has proved our determination in recent years. That’s one thing when you look back on this team in the future, you won’t be able to say we did not have determination.

“We’ve always come back. We’re putting in a fight again for the Premier League and we’ll put in a fight for the Champions League too.”

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