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Tuesday 18 February 2014

PREVIEW :MANCHESTER CITY VS BARCELONA

The Champions league is back and it is back with a big bang as the City of Manchester welcomes Barcelona once again since the Paul Scholes stunner in 2008. But this time around Lionel Messi and company won't be stopping at the Red side of Manchester but at the dangerous Blue side where only few teams have visited and lived to tell their experience.
This may be the first time both teams are meeting in a major encounter but this clash promises a lot of excitement and shock depending on what team you are supporting.

The media house seems to be as excited as everyone in the football world expect of course the Manchester City faithful who would prepare to keep their fingers crossed until after 90mins tonight.
What makes football so attractive is the off the field battle and build ups to big clashes such as these. And this particular game has not lacked any of these two essential ingredient as players from both teams have dished out their thoughts about the game.

First to speak was Barcelona's Gerrard Pique who was quoted as saying""The only way we have to speak is on the pitch.
"We know that in the club in the last six months there were some things that we cannot control as players.
"All we can do is play on the pitch and show the world that we can still be the best and try and play a great game against a great team like Man City."
Then Yaya Toure a former player of Barcelona said that he is expecting an upset. Toure is relishing the tie, although he admits he would prefer to play his old side later in the competition.
"Their players know to lift themselves at the right time, that people are waiting for it," he added. "It's the Champions League, the last 16. They will be concentrating hard and applying themselves.
"They know the match is played over two games and they have a lot of experience. Having played there, I know all about their mentality.
"When they enter any competition, whether it's a cup or any match over two legs, they concentrate hard.
"Barcelona are always expected to reach the semi-finals - to go out before is very surprising for people.
"I'd have preferred to play over there first and then at our place but, all things considered, it's Barca and I don't want to play them right now to be honest with you.
"But that's the way things turned out and I have to play Barcelona."

To pin point how huge this fixture is in the football world it also got Chelsea Boss Jose Mourinho making his feelings known.
Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho says Manchester City will be facing the worst Barcelona side in 'many, many years' in the last-16 of the Champions League.
City face Lionel Messi and company in the first leg at the Etihad Stadium on Tuesday evening in a highly-anticipated game that would have gone down just as well as the final.
Barcelona won the Champions League in 2009 and 2011 but have since gone out to Chelsea and Bayern Munich in the semi-finals.
And Mourinho feels they are not a side that should be feared as much as 2011, when they beat Arsenal at this stage and then Real Madrid before seeing off Manchester United in the final at Wembley.
Mourinho worked alongside Sir Bobby Robson at the Nou Camp and has enjoyed a mixed relationship with the club since, especially during his time as manager of their fierce rivals Real.
When asked about the match, he said: "City have a chance.
"Of course by history Barcelona is the favourite, but this Barcelona, this season, is showing that it is not the same in previous years.
"Of course, they have [Lionel] Messi - he is special - and they have more than him. But I think this is the worst Barcelona of many, many years."

Manchester City head into tonight's game as their first UEFA Champions league round of 16 game  and have scored 68 goals in 25 league games so far this season, the highest in the English top-flight, and Pellegrini wants his team to continue to show their attacking intent against Barcelona.
Fernandinho is set to return to the Manchester City squad but Kun Aguero will remain out. Aguero has been out since 29 January after picking up a hamstring injury in a 5-1 win over Tottenham.
The Argentine, who has 26 goals in 25 City appearances so far this season, came off just before half-time against Spurs and was expected to be out for a month.
The 25-year-old had only just returned from an eight-game absence with a calf injury before suffering his latest injury setback.
This promises to be a mouth watering clash as Barcelona and City are not scared of pumping in as much goals as the number of chances they create can afford.
But Manchester City Manager Manuel Pellegrini being aware of that has commented "Of course when you play against Barca you always must consider important things,".
"But the most important thing is to continue being the same team you see every week in Premier League, to continue having the same style of play and the personality.
"We are not just going to think about defending, but what we can do with the ball. That is the most important thing.".
As Pellegrini and his men decides on what to do with the ball, Soccer fans worldwide anxiously wait for the blast of the whistle to set the game on the way.

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