When Barcelona travelled to face Manchester City three weeks ago in the UEFA Champions League, they managed to do what few clubs had been able to do all season, win at the Etihad.
When Barcelona travelled to face Manchester City three weeks ago in the UEFA Champions League, they managed to do what few clubs had been able to do all season, win at the Etihad.
The 2-0 win they registered on the day has given Barca a comfortable lead going into the return leg at the Bernabeau but neither team is in the form that they were in during the first encounter.
Barcelona was upset 1-0 by Valladolid in La Liga at the weekend and some people have started to question the dynasty of the former European champions.
For their part Man City were beaten 2-1 by Championship team Wigan in the quarter finals of the FA Cup, the same team that beat them in the final of that competition last year.
A lot had been said about City winning four trophies since the turn of the year, but that talk has been muted in recent weeks despite the former Premier League champions winning the Capital One Cup a few weeks ago.
Both teams will be looking to put their domestic crisis behind them and focus on advancing to the next round of the Champions League.
This is the first time that Man City has progressed to the knock out stages of the competition and Manuel Pellegrini will be keen on going even further despite the position his club is in at the moment.
Barcelona coach Gerardo Martino has come under pressure following his team falling to third place in La Liga and will look to silence some of his critics by guiding the club to the quarterfinal stages of the Champions League .
Barcelona will start the odds on favourites in the match today, but Sergio Aguero and his teammates will be looking to push them all the way in Europe’s most celebrated club competition.
You must be logged in to post a comment Login