His Championship leaders will meet Premier League victors City at the clash after Kompany, 36, won four Premier League titles during his 11 years at City.

He told The Independent newspaper about making his comeback at the ground: “It’s the first time (returning) so it’s obviously going to be different, but in terms of my mindset it’s not different.

“It’s just to do my job, be prepared. The core message for us is be prepared. I don’t have a feeling I need to do anything other than give the one per cent extra to the team.

“I am extremely grateful for every moment I’ve been able to experience at Manchester City but I have to approach this game in the same way I approached every game at Manchester City, which is to do my job and live for that.”

He added about going head-to-head against City: “They’re trying to win the Champions League, we’re trying to win the Championship.

“All things considered, we don’t have to put too much pressure on ourselves, but still have the desire to get something from the game.

“Sometimes in these types of games, the result is one thing and we all want to win, but many teams come to the Etihad and try to win. I shouldn’t have, but I looked at the record of Championship teams going to the Etihad and it’s not great.”

“We’ve got to get something out of this game, hopefully a result, but there is so much more for us to get out of the game.

“The main focus is getting the best performance and then we’ll see… … it feels like it’s harder to win it. Being where we are in the quarter-finals is obviously a very good achievement for us to be in those big games and have a chance to just compete at that level.”