Bet Experts

Manchester City vs Barcelona

Manchester City vs Barcelona
UEFA Champions League – Group C
Date: Tuesday, 1st November 2016.
Kick-off at 19:45 UK.
Venue: Etihad Stadium, Manchester.

Manchester City were humiliated by Barcelona in their 4-0 defeat when they visit Camp Nou for the matchday-3 fixture. Now they have a chance to seek revenge in the space of two weeks when the teams meet again at the Etihad Stadium on Tuesday, 1st November 2016.

Lionel Messi was the start of the show in the matchday 3 clash between the two sides on 19th October. The Argentine maestro scored the first three goals for this team with Neymar adding the icing to the cake in the final minute of the match. The Brazilian also missed a penalty in the 87th minute.

The first leg clash between the two sides also saw two sending offs. Man City goal-keeper Claudio Bravo was sent-off in the 53rd minute for alleged foul outside the penalty area when the score was 1-0. While Barcelona’s French defender Jeremy Mathieu picked up two yellow cards and received his matching orders in the 73rd minute.

Barcelona remain top of the group with three wins from their three matches, while City are second with 4 points. The third placed Monchengladbach has 3 points and could go second if they manage to defeat Celtic in their matchday 4 fixture. The pressure is surely on Manchester City.

Manchester City vs Barcelona: Head-to-Head Stats

With the win in the first leg clash, Barcelona have maintained the 100% win record against Manchester City in Champions League meetings. The previous 4 meetings were in the round of 16 in two consecutive seasons – 2013/14 and 2014/15.

Pep Guardiola faced Barcelona as an opposition manager on three occasions and lost twice and won once. Both defeats were in away games and he won as the home manager.

Manchester City vs Barcelona: Prediction

Manchester City have ended their 6 match win-less run in all competitions with a 4-0 win against West Brom on the weekend. But the question still remains if their players have the confidence to topple a side like Barcelona. At the same time, they are unbeaten in the last 12 matches at home with 8 wins and 4 draws.

However, Barcelona are coming on the back on an injury crisis. Their big three – Messi, Suarez and Neymar remains fit. But the problems persist in defence as Gerard Pique and Jordi Alba are injured, while Jeremy Mathieu is suspended. There are also problems in midfield as Arda Turan is carrying a knock and joins Iniesta on the side-lines.

There won’t be a better time for City to inflict damage on the visitors. Also Pep’s only home match as an opposition managed resulted in a win. Can City do the impossible? Well, we believe they can.