What: Champions League Round of 16 – Second Leg
Who: Barcelona (2) vs Manchester City (0) (First leg score in brackets)
When: Wednesday 12th March, 2014, at 19:45 UK Time
Where: Camp Nou, Barcelona, Spain
League Doubt
Having seen their domestic title aspirations take another bump with a second consecutive defeat on the road in La Liga, Barcelona must quickly turn their attention to Champions League business as they prepare to welcome Manchester City to the Camp Nou. The Blaugrana already have a 2-0 advantage from the first game that was disputed a fortnight ago at the Etihad Stadium, but realise that they cannot be caught napping as their visitors have nothing to lose.
The team’s loss to Real Valladolid has seen the gap widen to four points between them and league leaders Real Madrid, with a Clasico to be played at the end of the month at the Santiago Bernabeu. Having played Manchester City many times during his spell at Arsenal, Cesc Fabregas feels that their Champions League rivals host a plethora of players capable of inflicting harm on the Blaugrana, but is confident nonetheless of his team’s abilities and their chances of progression.
“They have [David] Silva, who is a great passer, [Jesus] Navas who is a great winger, and Yaya Toure who played here [at Barcelona] and who certainly wants to win. They have great players, we must analyze them very well but I trust in our team’s ability to go through”, declared the midfielder.
Capable of Winning
Manchester City know that a very tough task awaits them at the Camp Nou, as Barcelona rarely fail to win all the spoils in front of their own fans. However, the team have their back up against the wall and will do everything in their power to ensure that a miracle occurs in Catalonia. To do this, every one of their players will need to be at his best, in addition to the team having a bit of luck in order to progress to the next round.
Los Cules are amongst the toughest sides at home, as they have lost just one of their last 25 European outings in front of their own fans. However, manager Manuel Pellegrini feels that a comeback is still very much on the books for his side.
“We go full of confidence in our ability to have a comeback and if we are having a good day, I'm sure we can do it. It will be difficult to win because there are a good team with good players. The field is also very large and their large fan base will support them. If we score soon, perhaps they will be more nervous. If they score before us, it will make things more difficult”, admitted the Chilean boss.
Recent form
Barcelona:
Real Sociedad 3-1 Barcelona (22/02; La Liga)
Barcelona 4-1 Almeria (02/03; La Liga)
Real Valladolid 1-0 Barcelona (08/03; La Liga)
Manchester City:
Manchester City 1-0 Stoke City (22/02; Premier League)
Manchester City 3-1 Sunderland (02/03; League Cup)
Manchester City 1-2 Wigan Athletic (09/03; FA Cup)
Key absences
Barcelona: Alex Song; Carles Puyol; Andres Iniesta; Jordi Alba; Isaac Cuenca; Jonathan dos Santos
Manchester City: Matija Nastasic; Stevan Jovetic; Martin Demichelis (suspended)
Players to watch
Barcelona – Lionel Messi: The forward was largely absent in the defeat against Real Valladolid, and will hope to produce a vintage Champions League display at the Camp Nou. On his day, he is very much unbeatable, and Manchester City defenders will be hoping to keep him on a short leash.
Manchester City – Yaya Toure: It will be an emotional night for the Ivory Coast international, who makes his first competitive comeback to the Camp Nou after having spent three successful years with the Blaugrana. Any hopes of qualification for his team will depend on him being at his best.
Match Prediction
Barcelona will be glad this game is played in front of their own fans and not Manchester City’s, as this tie would have been far from over. Even in this predicament, Gerardo Martino’s squad still have 90 minutes to go and any slip-ups could prove to be costly for them. In front of their own fans, they rarely tend to disappoint, and will most likely earn that qualification ticket. Barcelona 3-1 Manchester City.
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