Man City vs Barcelona, what's your prediction?

City's squad features four Spaniards – Javi García, Jesús Navas, Álvaro Negredo and David Silva – along with four more players also signed from Spain's top flight including Yaya Touré, who joined from Barcelona in 2010.

Additionally they have in Manuel Pellegrini a coach well acquainted with the Spanish game, and in director of football Txiki Begiristain a man who knows Barcelona better than most.

Pellegrini's City reached this stage by finishing second in Group A where they took 15 points – two more than Gerardo Martino's Barcelona managed in winning Group H.

Previous meetings The clubs have met six times in friendly matches:

1952 Barcelona 5-1 Manchester City
1957 Barcelona 3-2 Manchester City
1974 Barcelona 3-2 Manchester City
1986 Barcelona 1-1 Manchester City (3-4 penalties, played in Huelva)
2003 Manchester City 2-1 Barcelona
2009 Barcelona 0-1 Manchester City
Barcelona visited City on 10 August 2003 for their inaugural match in a stadium built for the 2002 Commonwealth Games. Nicolas Anelka and Trevor Sinclair scored either side of Javier Saviola's goal for Barcelona, who included Carles Puyol and Xavi Hernández in their starting XI with Andrés Iniesta a second-half substitute.

City won 1-0 at Barcelona in a pre-season friendly in August 2009, Martin Petrov the scorer. Touré was playing for Barcelona while Pablo Zabaleta is City's only survivor.


The lineups were:

Barcelona: Pinto, Montoya (Alves 46), Puyol (Bartra 30), Fontas (Piqué 65), Maxwell, Sergio, Y Touré (Jonathan 46), Gudjohnsen (Keita 46), Jeffren (Gai 54), Bojan (Ibrahimovic 46), Pedro (Messi 46).

Manchester City: Given, Onuoha, Dunne, K Touré (Ben Haim 46), Zabaleta (Garrido 65), Weiss, Wright-Phillips (Tripper 81), Ireland, Barry (Etuhu 69), Petrov, Tévez (Bellamy 65).


City are in the last 16 for the first time but Pellegrini has guided Villarreal (2006, 2009) and Málaga (2012) into the quarterfinals.

Four-time European champions Barcelona are seeking a seventh successive quarter-final appearance. In last season's round of 16 against AC Milan they lost the first leg 2-0 in Italy but bounced back with a 4-0 triumph at the Camp Nou.

City lost 3-1 at home to Josep Guardiola's Bayern Munich on matchday two, their only defeat in their last 23 European fixtures in Manchester. They won their two other Group D home fixtures handsomely, putting a combined nine goals past PFC CSKA Moscow and FC Viktoria Plzen.

Barcelona won 1-0 at Celtic FC on their first away trip in this season's competition but lost 2-1 at AFC Ajax on their most recent and have posted just one victory in their last six European away games, losing three.

City's home record against Spanish clubs is W2 D2 L0. Sergio Agüero's penalty earned a 1-1 draw with Real Madrid CF in last term's group stage and the Argentinian scored an added-time winner in a 2-1 success against Villarreal CF in the 2011/12 group stage.

Barcelona have not won in five away fixtures in England, most recently going down 1-0 at Chelsea FC in the 2011/12 semi-finals. Their last away victory over a Premier League side came at this stage in 2006/07 when they beat Liverpool 1-0 yet still suffered defeat on away goals. Víctor Valdés, Puyol, Xavi, Iniesta and Lionel Messi all played at Anfield.

Barcelona's overall record away to English opposition is W6 D8 L14. This does not include their 3-1 triumph over Manchester United at Wembley Stadium in the 2011 Champions League final.

The Blaugrana have never won in Manchester where four visits to Old Trafford have brought them two draws and two defeats – most recently a 1-0 semi-final loss to United in the 2007/08 Champions League. Touré was in the Barcelona team that day and again when they beat United in the 2009 final in Rome.


TEAM TIES
During nine seasons in Spain, Pellegrini coached Villarreal, Real Madrid and Málaga but enjoyed only four victories against Barcelona during that time, most recently a 2-1 success for Villarreal at the Camp Nou in March 2008. He lost both of his Liga encounters with Barcelona as Madrid coach in 2009/10, 1-0 away and 2-0 at home. The Chilean's overall record against Barcelona is P22 W4 D4 L14.

City's director of football, Begiristain, filled the same role at Barcelona between 2003 and 2010. He was a member of the Blaugrana's 1992 European Cup-winning squad and also helped the club win four Liga titles, the Uefa Cup Winners' Cup and the Uefa Super Cup during seven years as a Barcelona player.

During three seasons with Barcelona between 2007 and 2010, Touré made 74 Liga appearances and scored four goals, helping the Blaugrana to two league titles and the 2009 Champions League crown.

Pablo Zabaleta spent three years at Barcelona's city rivals Espanyol between 2005 and 2008. He appeared in four Liga derbies against Barcelona, drawing two and losing two.

Agüero hit five goals in ten Liga outings against Barcelona for Club Atlético de Madrid between 2006 and 2011. His first home match against Barcelona with Atlético ended in a 6-0 defeat in May 2007.

Gaël Clichy was an unused substitute in the Arsenal side beaten 2-1 by Barcelona in the 2006 Champions League final. Clichy and Samir Nasri played alongside Cesc Fàbregas and Alex Song in the Arsenal teams beaten by Barcelona in the 2009/10 quarter-finals and 2010/11 round of 16.

Gerard Piqué spent four years in Manchester as a United player from 2004-08, making 23 appearances but never facing City.

At Arsenal, Fàbregas won nine and lost just two of 13 meetings with City. His last visit was for a 3-0 away win in October 2010 in which Song scored.

Navas played alongside Daniel Alves and Adriano in the Sevilla team that beat Barcelona 3-0 in the 2006 Super Cup.

Manchester City

UEFA milestones and competition statistics

City have reached the Champions League round of 16 for the first time. On matchday four Álvaro Negredo became the first City player to score a Champions League hat-trick.

Sergio Agüero is City's 12-goal highest scorer in European competition. He has registered eight in his last eight Champions League outings, including six in five this season.

Yaya Touré is available after serving a one-match ban. James Milner is suspended for the first leg, while Fernandinho and Pablo Zabaleta are both a booking away from a ban.

Champions League squad changes
In: None
Out: None

General information

Six points shy of top spot in the Premier League ahead of matchday six, City have reduced the deficit to three with a game in hand on leaders Chelsea, who they beat 2-0 on Saturday in the FA Cup fifth round. They will be at home to holders Wigan Athletic in the last eight in a repeat of last year's final.

City's 100% home record in domestic competition this term ended with a 1-0 loss to Chelsea on 3 February, the first time they had failed to score on their own turf in the league since 13 November 2010. That defeat halted Manuel Pellegrini's team's 20-match unbeaten run (W18, D2) in all competitions, dating back to 10 November.

Agüero has scored in eight successive appearances and 26 in 25 club outings this season, but has not featured since suffering a hamstring injury in City's 5-1 win at Tottenham Hotspur on 31 January.

City beat Norwich City 7-0 on 2 November, scoring seven in a top-flight match for the first time since December 1968 and a 7-0 win against Burnley. They drew the reverse fixture 0-0 on 8 February.

Barcelona

UEFA milestones and competition statistics

Barcelona's next draw will be their 100th in Uefa competition. They have conceded 248 goals in the European Cup.

The Blaugrana have attempted (4,812) and completed more passes (4,125) than any side in this season's competition. Xavi Hernández (650/596) was the leading player in the group stage.

Cesc Fábregas is available after serving a one-match ban.

Champions League squad changes
In: None
Out: None

General information

Barcelona beat Rayo Vallecano de Madrid 6-0 on Saturday, their biggest win since the opening day of the season.

Barcelona lost 3-2 to Valencia CF on 1 February, ending a run of 25 successive home league wins. It was their first Liga reverse at the Camp Nou since 21 April 2012.

On 12 February, the Azulgrana completed a 3-1 aggregate win against Real Sociedad de Fútbol to book a place in the Copa del Rey final, where they will face Real Madrid CF in April.

Lionel Messi has scored 337 goals for Barcelona, overtaking Telmo Zarra's record of 335 goals registered with one Spanish club. His double on Saturday took him to 228 Spanish Liga goals, ahead of Alfredo Di Stéfano, level with Raúl González and behind only Hugo Sánchez (234 goals) and Zarra (251).

Xavi, Barcelona's record appearance holder, played his 700th game for the club against Getafe CF on 16 January. Messi reached 400 six days later.

Jonathan Dos Santos could be out until April after suffering knee ligament damage in training on 23 October. Isaac Cuenca has not played since having knee surgery this summer. Ibrahim Afellay, who had an operation in August to correct a thigh complaint, featured for the first time this term against Málaga CF on 26 January.

Barcelona won their first eight Liga games this season, one shy of Real Madrid's league best of nine victories at the start of a campaign achieved in 1968/69.

Head coach

Manchester City: Manuel Pellegrini
Date of birth: 16 September 1953
Nationality: Chilean
Playing career: CF Universidad de Chile
Coaching career: CF Universidad de Chile, CD Palestino (three times), Chile Under-20, CD O'Higgins, CD Universidad Católica, LDU de Quito, CA San Lorenzo de Almagro, CA River Plate, Villarreal, Real Madrid, Málaga CF, Manchester City FC

The former centre-back began his coaching career in 1988 with the sole club of his playing days, Universidad de Chile, before spending the next 16 years working with sides in Chile, Ecuador and Argentina.

Took over at Villarreal in 2004, guiding them to third place in the Liga in his debut season and securing a place in the UEFA Champions League for the first time. His side also reached the quarter-finals of the UEFA Cup.

The following campaign, Villarreal defied all expectations by reaching the Champions League semifinals, where they lost 1-0 on aggregate to Arsenal. Guided the club to second place in the 2007/08 Liga, a club record, and the Champions League quarter-finals the following season, again being knocked out by Arsenal.

Signed a two-year contract with Real Madrid on 2 June 2009, the Merengues winning a then club record 96 points in the Liga but still finishing second behind FC Barcelona, prompting Pellegrini's dismissal in May 2010

That November he succeeded Jesualdo Ferreira as coach of Málaga and in the following campaign oversaw a fourth-placed league finish, the club's best ever. In an echo of his feats with Villarreal, he then took the Andalusian team through Champions League qualifying and all the way to the quarterfinals. In summer 2013, joined Manchester City on a three-year deal to replace Roberto Mancini.

Barcelona: Gerardo Martino
Date of birth: 20 November 1952
Nationality: Argentinian
Playing career: CA Newell's Old Boys, CD Tenerife, CA Lanús, Barcelona SC
Coaching career: CA Almirante Brown, CA Platense, Instituto Atlético Central Córdoba, Club Libertad, Club Cerro Porteño, CA Colón, Paraguay, CA Newell's Old Boys, FC Barcelona

An attacking central midfielder, Martino – commonly known as 'Tata' – took his first steps in the game at Newell's Old Boys, the club that would have a heavy influence on his playing and coaching career.

Made first-team for Rosario-based side as a 17-year-old and went on to score 38 goals in a club record 505 appearances over three spells, captaining the team as they won four domestic titles in five years between 1988 and 1992.

A former Argentina international, Martino's only experience in Europe as a player came with Tenerife where he scored once in 15 Liga games. Later influenced by Marcelo Bielsa, the 50-year-old began his coaching career in Argentina's lower divisions.

Impressed in Paraguay with Libertad and Cerro Porteño, gaining championship-winning experiences that would lead to chance to take charge of Paraguay; took the national team to the 2010 Fifa World Cup quarterfinals and the Copa América final the following year.

Agreed a return to Newell's in 2012 and immediately improved the side's fortunes, leading them to victory in the 2013 Torneo Final; subsequently agreed to take over at Barça on a two-year deal following Tito Vilanova's enforced departure.

The record don speak mancity to finish barca by 6 to 3

It's gonna be a very difficult match for mancity,they tend to struggle against clubs that keep the ball so well.I'll give it to barca by a very slim margin.

It will be a nil nil draw

counter attacking will help man city a lot so there will be a winner

HORIZONTAL wrote:

It will be a nil nil draw

They've got too much attacking talent on display for it to end nil nil.

Mancity will win but it will be close one nil my prediction

How did the game pan out?what was the score line

Manchester City 0-2 Barcelona: Messi & Alves
capitalise on Demichelis sending off
The Catalan giants took full advantage of the dismissal of the
Argentine to leave Manuel Pellegrini needing a minor miracle at
Camp Nou in order to avoid an exit
Feb 18, 2014 9:34:00 PM
Lionel Messi and Dani Alves capitalised on the sending off of
Martin Demichelis as Barcelona left Manchester City 's
Champions League hopes in tatters at the Etihad Stadium.
The visitors had the lion's share of possession in the first half
but failed to cause home goalkeeper Joe Hart too many
problems.
City soaked up the pressure well and carved out a few
opportunities of their own, but Demichelis' foul on Messi early in
the second half represented a turning point.
The defender was dismissed for bringing his fellow Argentine
down after he had been played in by a sublime Andres Iniesta
pass, and Messi duly stroked home the resulting spot-kick for
his seventh goal in four Champions League outings this term.
Barca's control over proceedings inevitably grew with their
numerical advantage, and Alves added a second in the closing
moments from close range - dealing a huge blow to City's
chances of progression.
Alvaro Negredo was City's only out-and-out striker as Manuel
Pellegrini looked to bolster his midfield and counter Barcelona's
considerable attacking threat, while Gerardo Martino opted for
Cesc Fabregas in place of Pedro.
The hosts struggled to get a touch on the ball in the opening
stages as their visitors stroked it around with ease but, despite
the Spanish champions' early dominance, it was two of the
home side's Iberian imports who carved out the first chance of
the match - David Silva playing in Negredo, who failed to find
the net from a tight angle.
For an encounter between two of the world's most technically
gifted sides, the deadlock was almost broken in the scrappiest
of manners in the 25th minute, as Victor Valdes' failure to deal
with a Silva free-kick sparked havoc in the Barca penalty area.
The goalkeeper eventually got back to his feet to claim the loose
ball.
Messi got his first sight of goal on the half-hour mark but
scooped a right-footed effort over the crossbar, before Xavi
forced Joe Hart into a diving save with a speculative effort from
20 yards.
Negredo headed just wide of the target from a Jesus Navas
cross on the stroke of half-time as the sides went in level at the
break.
But City's hard work in the first half unravelled nine minutes into
the second, as the referee ruled that Demichelis had brought
down Messi just inside the area - a challenge that earned the
City defender his marching orders.
Messi picked himself up to calmly knock the ball straight down
the middle past Hart.
City brought on Joleon Lescott as the focus shifted towards
damage limitation ahead of the second leg, but could have
found themselves two down when Alves drove the ball just wide
of Hart's far post.
Silva took the ball down on his chest superbly in the Barcelona
area 15 minutes from time, but Valdes got down well to keep
out his eventual strike, before Pique had a goal disallowed at the
other end after Cesc Fabregas was deemed to be offside.
Alves then stormed into the box in the 90th minute to slot home
a goal that puts Barca in the driving seat ahead of a second leg
on home soil.