There is no doubt whatsoever that Barcelona’s visit to the Etihad Stadium as the Catalan club will be locking horns to face off against Manchester City is the most anticipated match to watch in this campaign of the Champions League.
Both teams have a star studded squad with the likes of Messi, Iniesta and Xavi leading the way for Barcelona while Manchester City has Sergio Aguero, David Silva and Yaya Toure as the backbone of the Premier League club.
Both are going through similar situations when you compare their locations on their respective leagues although Barcelona does have an edge as they are at the top of the Spanish league, La Liga meanwhile Manchester are fighting to snatch the top spot in the Premier League along with Arsenal, Chelsea and Liverpool as their main direct rivals.
Probable Starting Lineup
Barcelona
Valdes
Montoya-Pique-Bartra-Adriano
Xavi-Song-Iniesta
Neymar-Messi-Sanchez
Manchester City
Hart
Kompany-Zabaleta-Clichy-Demichelis
Milner-Toure-Silva-Navas
Negredo-Aguero
Match Prediction
Both teams will be going all out in search for a good result that can help them stay more relaxed when they meet once more during the 2nd leg which will be played at the home turf of Barcelona, Camp Nou.
Manchester City campaign so far has been like a roller-coaster ride with a resounding 5-1 victory against Tottenham and some weeks later having to settle with a goalless draw against Norwich City.
Barcelona on the other hand has been far more consistent with convincing performances every week and every match they play and even when Lionel Messi was out injured, they still managed to cope well during the absence of the Argentine superstar.
It’s a battle between 2 European powerhouses but its hard to see Barcelona losing against Manchester City even if it is going to be played at the Etihad Stadium, Messi is roaring to come back and perform for his team at an important stage such as Champions League.
Manchester City 1 Barcelona 2
