Manchester City play their first ever Champions League knockout-stage tie when they face Spanish champions Barcelona at the Etihad Stadium on Tuesday. This is probably the most anticipated clash in this stage of the competition, with both sides in impressive form so far this season. Manchester City defeated Chelsea 2-0 in the FA Cup last weekend while Barcelona put six goals past Rayo Vallecano in their Primera Liga fixture.
Manchester City finished second behind trophy holders Bayern Munich in Group D but they did beat the German champions and collected 15 points, two more than Barcelona achieved in Group H. The Citizens have been impressive at home this season, winning all but two of their 20 home games in all competitions and have conceded just 18 goals. As for scoring, City bagged at least 4 goals in no less than 12 of those matches.
Former Barcelona midfielder Yaya Toure has scored plenty this season, much more than he used to at the Spanish giants. "At Barcelona it was my job to hold and organise. It was all about being focused and never losing concentration. Now I can drop into defence or join the attack," he said. "I was limited to playing in the middle at Barcelona. I like playing in England because it's an open league and very fast-paced. The first two campaigns were difficult, but now everything is going well."
Barcelona are confident after last weekend's league result. "We're on form coming into the match against City, this is the perfect moment to try to qualify for the quarter-finals," coach Gerardo Martino said. "Most of the players are playing really well." Barcelona have no injury concerns at all while Sergio Aguero and Fernandinho are most likely going to miss out for Manchester City. Here are the match odds at Bet365, where you can take advantage of an in-play free bet:
Manchester City win - 15/8
Draw - 13/5
Barcelona win - 6/4
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