Manchester City and Barcelona collided in one of the more intriguing quarter-finals matchups in the Champions League and now it’s time for the second leg. Everything is still in the balance, even though Barcelona holds the upper hand. Manchester City fell 2-1 at home in the first leg of their Champions League knockout meeting with Barcelona, and it could have been worse if Joe Hart hadn’t stopped Lionel Messi’s late penalty at the Etihad Stadium.
It will be a tough task to overturn that deficit when they head to the Nou Camp on Wednesday but not impossible. After all, Barcelona has proven somewhat vulnerable at times this season such as their 1-0 home loss to Malaga on February 21st. Manchester City is still the second-best team in what’s deemed to be the best club league in Europe. If they put it together, they can pull this out. Here’s what they need to do to send the Spanish giants crashing out of the competition.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rGGzCodf0Tw
Don’t Get Overrun In Midfield
City didn’t have Yaya Toure in the first leg due to suspension and he’ll be back for Wednesday’s affair. When he is on his game, Toure can dominate the middle of the pitch, which is incredibly hard to do against Barca – especially at the Nou Camp. Toure will also have a little motivation in this one as he faces his former club. He won the Champions League with Barcelona in 2009 before moving to City.
Toure will also need help from Fernandinho, who was left out of the first leg for reasons known only to manager Manuel Pellegrini. He adds steel to the midfield that Brazilian countryman Fernando just doesn’t. With these two in the lineup and playing their best, the Citizens will already be in better shape.
Vincent Kompany Has To Be Inspirational
The City captain has taken a lot of heat for his performances as of late and was even dropped for City’s 2-0 win over Leicester City in the English Premier League. His services weren’t needed against Leicester but City will need Kompany to get his head on straight for Wednesday. He’s their best defender and Barca rolls out a trio of Lionel Messi, Neymar and Luis Suarez, two of whom scored goals in the first leg. City desperately needs Kompany to find his form in the next week or so because without him, it could get ugly. They’re hoping that giving him a rest versus Leicester City will reenergize him for Barca.
Find David Silva Early And Often
Sergio Aguero and Toure get most of the attention for City, but Silva might be their most important player. He is certainly their most creative and he needs to be the link between Aguero and the midfield in order for City to have a chance. Silva is second on the team with 10 goals behind Aguero, who has 17, and while he only has three assists on the record, he is usually in the mix in the build-up to City goals. Not to mention, the Spanish international would love to be able to stick it to his international teammates a little, so Silva will be motivated.
Don’t Be Scared, But Be Smart
The numbers don’t favor City as they have lost all three of their meetings with Barca, two of which came at this point in the Champions League last season as Barca won 4-1 over the two legs. On top of that, they are going into the second leg without the services of Gael Clichy, who will miss the game due to a red card. Therefore, City has nothing to lose and should go into the Nou Camp full of confidence that they can turn it around. Barcelona is a quite a big favorite for this contest (-216) but if Manchester City can play relaxed and get an early lead to make things uncomfortable for the home side, they’re more than capable of pulling the rug out from under Barcelona.
