Can City find a way past the Blaugrana this time around?
Going into the weekend's league matches, Manchester City and Barcelona were going in different directions. While City were struggling with inconsistent play, Barcelona were looking like the best team in La Liga. Then City hammered Newcastle in an impressive footballing version of flexing, while the Blaugrana were shutout at home in a 1-0 loss to Málaga.
One game doesn't define a team, so it's still tricky to guess exactly what will happen at the Ethiad on Tuesday. Barca still have to be the favorites going in, but City's strong performance on Saturday should at least give Jose Enrique and his side something to think about.
When these two sides met last season in the same round of the Champions League, Barca easily dispatched the eventual EPL champions 4-1 on aggregate. A similar result this season could leave Manuel Pellegrini in hot water with the club's owners, despite his domestic success.
Key Player: Lionel Messi (Barcelona)
Despite the improved play from Neymar this season and the addition of Luis Suárez to the attack, Lionel Messi remains the man for the Blaugrana. City must account for the Argentine striker at all times, and find a way to deal with the moments of brilliance that will no doubt come at some point during the match.
Key Matchup: Barca's defense vs. City's attack
Barcelona's defense is always pointed at as the club's most glaring weakness, and for good reason. While calling Dani Alves a defender is sketchy, he's deployed in a fullback role and his defensive errors can still cost the club games (just watch Saturday's loss). City will likely be kept plenty busy trying to slow down Barca's attack, but when the chances come for Sergio Agüero and others, it'll be up to Barca's back line to get the job done.
Mancehster City injuries and suspensions
Out: Yaya Touré (suspended). In doubt: James Milner (knee)
Barcelona injuries and suspensions
Out: Thomas Vermaelen (hamstring), Douglas (hamstring).
Neither team have any major injury concerns, but City will be without influential midfielder Yaya Touré who is serving the final match of a three game ban following a red card in the group stage against CSKA Moscow.
Match Date/Time: Tuesday, 2:45 p.m. ET, 8:45 p.m. local
Venue: Ethiad Stadium, Manchester, England
TV: Fox Sports 1 (U.S. - English), FOX Deportes (U.S. - Spanish), Sportsnet regional (Canada), ITV 1 (U.K.), TV3, TVE La 1 (Spain)
Online: Fox Sports Go, Fox Soccer 2 Go (U.S.), Sportsnet World Now (Canada), Sky Go (U.K.)
from SBNation.com - All Posts http://ift.tt/17S00tI
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