adminMANCHESTER. — Manchester City have been on a steep learning curve in Champions League soccer, but tonight’s last 16 first-leg clash with four-times European kings Barcelona offers a chance to show they are now serious contenders.
The match kicks-off at 9:45pm.
Last season’s exit at the identical stage also against Barca, 4-1 on aggregate, revealed City’s shortcomings in a squad good enough to win the English Premier League but still lacking authority and discipline against Europe’s very best.
A year later, however, and City are approaching the tie with growing optimism, even if they will be missing midfield talisman Yaya Toure at the Etihad today as he completes a three-match suspension for his red card against CSKA Moscow.
After finding their creative edge blunted in recent months, City’s attacking flair returned with a vengeance as they crushed Newcastle United 5-0 in the Premier League on Saturday.
In contrast, Barca’s lethal-looking front-line misfired badly at the weekend as their 11-match unbeaten run ended in a surprise 1-0 defeat by a well-drilled Malaga side.
City’s run to the last 16 a year ago was their best effort in the competition after two successive failures to survive the group stage and they will be buoyed by the way they sneaked into the knock-out round this time, beating Bayern Munich and AS Roma.
Both of those victories were recorded without Toure.
On-loan midfielder Frank Lampard, a veteran of many battles with Barca from his Chelsea days, says that while the Catalans must be respected, City have the weapons to out-gun Barcelona and reach the last eight for the first time.
“You can admire and respect them so long as that doesn’t transmit into giving them too much space to do what they do best,” said Lampard, who was in the Chelsea side that beat Barca in the semis on the way to their 2012 Champions League triumph.
“I played against Barcelona when they were at their very best four or five years ago and they were absolutely flying — in truth, there’s not much you can do when they play like that — but we have players who can hurt them, too.” Lampard teammate Vincent Kompany insists Manchester City do not fear Barcelona, claiming playing at Stoke can be tougher.
Kompany refuses to be daunted by Barcelona’s star-studded attack of Messi, Neymar and Suarez and says he is relishing today’s Champions League showdown at the Etihad.
“Fear?” said City’s captain. “We don’t fear them. You don’t go in at this level fearing strikers.
“We want to play against them. It will be the fourth time in a year. There’s nothing new to worry us, it’s a case of having the whole team at a very high level. “They’re a special team with special players, of course. I think their ability is not about hurting you all game — you can have tougher games when you go to Stoke City.
“It’s about the fact they can decide a game within a second. They have more players than anyone else in the world who can finish games with a touch of magic.
“But I’ve come into football to play those games. The moment I’m feeling reluctant to play in these games, I’m not in the right place. This is what I want.”
Barcelona dumped City out at the last 16 stage 12 months ago and Kompany is adamant the Blues will eventually win the Champions League.
“The history of this club tells you that in the past six years we always keep progressing,” said the defender. — Soccernet.
Online Reporter