02:45 February 19, Man City vs Barcelona: Holding back the dark horse

After two consecutive seasons of stopping at the group stage, Man City finally won a ticket to the round of 16 of the Champions League this season. But the beautiful dream of the rich English team may soon be shattered, because ahead of them is a challenge called Barcelona.

The beautiful dream of a rich British man may soon be shattered.

HEAVY DUTY REAGENTS

When Luis Figo announced Man City’s opponents as Barcelona in the Champions League round of 16 draw on December 16, 2013, City TV reporters went into the Citizens’ gym to capture the players’ reactions. And what happened in front of the camera was understandable: a few head shakes and forced smiles. Because clearly, this was the opponent they least expected.

In the first time passing the group stage, Man Cityhave faced a tough test. Barca is a serious test for the hegemony ambitions of the blue half of Manchester. However, the Catalans themselves think so. Immediately after the draw, the pro-Barca newspaper Mundo Deportivo ran the headline “El City, NO” (Man City, NO) on its front page. And 24 hours before the clash at the Etihad, striker Pedro confirmed once again: “It is the worst draw we could have imagined.”

That said, Barca themselves are also afraid of their opponents. The reason is of course not because they lost to Man City in the last two friendly matches. But because the English team is gradually shedding its nouveau riche label to enter the ranks of the "elite" (top) teams in Europe. Their results this season say it all, as The Citizens won 3-2 at Bayern in the Champions League group stage, crushed Man United 4-1, defeated Arsenal 6-3, defeated Liverpool 2-1 in the Premier League and most recently, defeated Chelsea 2-0 in the FA Cup.

JUDGMENT AT CAMP NOU
The impressive record against those formidable opponents shows that Man City is no longer afraid of big battles. Therefore, The Citizens have nothing to fear from Barca. Especially when the Catalan opponent is no longer a bogeyman in the Champions League. Because coach Manuel Pellegrini has a solid squad, many of whom know Barca well. And tonight, Man City will also play at their home ground Etihad, where they have won 18/20 of their last matches.

Barca's terrible away form in the Champions League knockout rounds, along with the Catalan team's poor record in English European competitions (W6, D8, L14) have made Man City fans even more confident in their team. However, statistics are only for reference, and class is something that cannot be overcome in a few seasons.

Although their heyday is over, Barca are still a monument of European football. The team under coach Gerardo Martino is also maintaining an extremely impressive form, with the crushing of Levante (5-1), Sevilla (4-1) and Vallecano (6-0). Of course, Man City are of a much higher class than the defeated opponents of the Catalan team. But with a powerful Lionel Messi, perhaps Barca will still be able to hold back the dark horse of the Champions League in the first leg, before planning to subdue their opponent in the return match at the Nou Camp.

NUMBERS
0.Barca have never won a match in Manchester, drawing 2 and losing 2 in their previous 4 visits to Man United.
8.Yaya Toure is Barca's top threat from set-pieces, having scored seven goals from eight direct free-kicks or penalties in the Premier League this season.
15.Although ranked second in Group A, Man City's points (15) were more than Barca's (13), even though the Catalan team led Group H.

FORCE INFORMATION
Man City:Nastasic, Aguero injured. Fernandinho could return.
Barcelona:Jonathan dos Santos is injured. Mascherano has a slight pain.

INFORMATION
According to Asia, Man City won 12/18 recent matches, while Barca lost 3/5 recent matches.

According to Asia, Man City is unbeaten in 15/20 recent home matches (won 13, drew 2), while Barca is winless in 4/6 recent away matches (lost 3, drew 1).

4/6 of Barca's recent matches have had at least 2 goals in the first half.

4/6 of Man City's last home matches and 6/9 of Barca's last away matches have had goals from the 75th minute onwards.

SPECIAL
At least 3 goals:15/18 of Man City's recent home matches have had at least 3 goals. 6/8 of Barca's recent matches have also had at least 3 goals.
Total goals even:8/11 of Man City's last matches have had an even number of goals. Similarly, 4/6 of Barca's recent away matches have had an even number of goals.

EXPECTED LINEUP
MAN CITY:Hart, Zabaleta, Kompany, Demichelis, Clichy, J.Garcia, Toure, Navas, Silva, Nasri, Negredo
BARCELONA:Valdes, , Alves, Pique, Bartra, Alba, Xavi, Busquets, Iniesta, Alexis, Messi, Neymar

According to Bongdaplus