Barcelona vs Manchester City Preview: History, Key Battles, Team News and More
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola takes on his former side Barcelona at the Nou Camp on Wednesday evening in a mouthwatering Champions League clash in Group C.
The Blues will be looking to record their first victory in four games, after dropping points in the Premier League against Tottenham and Everton, along with their 3-3 draw against Celtic last time out in the Champions League.
Barcelona will be full of confidence after beating Deportivo 4-0 at the weekend in La Liga, with
Lionel Messi's goalscoring return from injury on Saturday a timely boost for Barca boss, Luis Enrique. The Argentinian magician had been sidelined for three weeks with a groin injury, but he is now set to start against City.
The Spanish Giants currently sit top of Group C on six points, winning both of their opening games in the Champions League. City will overtake Barca as group leaders if they claim all three points in Spain -they currently occupy second place on four points after two games.
Any History?
City have a dismal record against Barcelona, losing all four of their competitive matches against the La Liga side.
All four of their clashes have come in the knockout round of the Champions League, with the first meeting a 2-0 victory at the Etihad Stadium for the Spanish side in February 2014. Lionel Messi and Dani Alves were the scorers that day.
Barca followed that with a 2-1 win at the Nou Camp in the second leg, with Messi and Dani Alves once again finding the net against City. Blues captain Vincent Kompany bagged his side's goal. The Spanish side went on to win the Champions League that season, defeating Juventus 3-1 in the final in Berlin.
Their last two meetings came during the 2015/16 season, with Barcelona winning 2-1 at the Etihad, thanks to a first-half brace from Luis Suarez. City striker Sergio Aguero netted in the second half, but it wasn't enough to rescue the match. That was followed by a 1-0 home triumph at the Nou Camp, courtesy of Ivan Rakitic's goal. Aguero missed apenalty in the 78th minute for City.
Key Battles
Messi, Neymar, Suarez vs City's defence
It's hard to look past the threat of 'MSN', asall three possess the tools to unlock City's back-line.
Neymar is the only one out of the three yet to score against the Blues, but the Brazilian will be confident of finding the net following five goals in eight matches this season.
The trio's stats so far this season are outstanding, with 18 goals scored and 12 assists registered between them.
The likes of Nicolas Otamendi and John Stones will struggleto keep them at bay for 90 minutes and City have failed to keep a clean sheet in any of their past meetings with Barcelona.
Kevin De Bruyne vs Sergio Busquets
City's best hope of scoring on the night will be through talisman Sergio Aguero, but Belgian midfielder Kevin De Bruyne will be key in creating chances for the Argentinian.
De Bruyne returned from a hamstring injury at the weekend against Everton and he will be eager to register his first Champions League goal of the season.
Barcelona anchor-man Sergio Busquets will sit in front of his side's defence, looking to stay tight to City's attacking stars, including the dangerous De Bruyne.
This could be a key battle that determines how many opportunities the Blues create on Wednesday - if De Bruyne is able to escape the shackles of Busquets, he possesses the quality to punish the Spanish side's back-line.
Team News
Barcelona duo Sergi Roberto and Jordi Alba both returned to training this week; they were both missing against Deportivo following muscular injuries.
Backup keeper Jasper Cillessen is the only player expected to miss the clash against City. The Dutchman is currently sidelined with a sprained ankle. Barca lined up in a 3-4-3 formation on Saturday, but they are expected to revert to a 4-3-3 formation against the Blues.
City defender Bacary Sagna is set to miss the trip to the Nou Camp;the Frenchman has been dogged by a hamstring injury in recent weeks. Meanwhile, fellow defender Kompany is still struggling to reach full fitness.
Guardiola may be tempted to revert to a back four in order to match Barcelona's setup, with Pablo Zabaleta replacing Leroy Sane, while Aguero is expected to come in for Kelechi Ihenacho.
Predicted Lineups
Barcelona: Ter Stegen, Roberto, Umtiti, Pique, Alba, Busquets, Rakitic, Iniesta, Messi, Suarez, Neymar
Manchester City: Bravo, Zabaleta, Otamendi, Stones, Clichy, Fernandinho, Gundogan, Silva, De Bruyne, Aguero, Sterling
Prediction
Messi, Neymar, and Suarez should have too much firepower for City to deal with and Guardiola's side know any mistakes will be punished at the Nou Camp. Barcelona to edge a tight encounter, with City scoring.
Barcelona 2-1 Manchester City