The eagerly anticipated matchup between Barcelona and Manchester City is just days away, but who is going to emerge victorious over the two legs? The European heavyweights will face off in the most fervently anticipated Champions League fixtures so far this season. Actually, the excitement surrounding this fixture is almost on par with the euphoria felt by Newcastle fans when Joe Kinnear was “relieved of his duties” as Director of Football. What those duties actually were, one can only guess.
Two of Football’s Giants Go Head-to-Head
Ever so marginally, Barcelona enter as the fixture as favourites, however, City’s offensive capabilities will pose the Spanish outfit numerous problems. Right now, even though Messi and co. are starting to establish some consistency, Barcelona is at its weakest point in quite some time.
More than likely, Manuel Pellegrini will be without the attacking prowess of Sergio Aguerro for the first leg, but City still have more than enough going forward to terrorize a Barca defense that has been permeable all year long. Just a couple of weeks ago, the defensive leaks were exposed for all to see in the 3-2 loss against Valencia. Yes, the Catalan giants can look to Lionel Messi, a man who is beginning the rediscover that delectable style of his, but Barca realize that they will be squaring off against a team that is far more physical than any squad in the Spanish League, Real Madrid included.
Though the physicality of the EPL is not as evident in Europe’s premier tournament, make no mistake, brute force can and will play a huge role in this tie. Step forward Fernandinho and Yaya Toure, an ex Barca player, half man, half horse, a prime example of sheer power in its truest form.
Take your mind back to 2013, a year when Barcelona were embarrassed, outwitted and outmuscled by Bayern Munich, a matchup that ended in a 7-0 aggregate defeat for the club synonymous with indestructibility. Even though City lost to Bayern Munich 3-1 at home in a Champions League tie last year; the blue half of Manchester responded by travelling to Munich and emerging with a 3-2 victory, a staggering scoreline when you consider how measly Pep Guardiola’s defense had been all season.
A tough one to call, yet I feel City can emerge victorious over the two legs, even though their own defense sometimes resembles the bladder of an eighty year old male, leaky and utterly unpredictable, liable to detonate at the worst possible time.
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