A superb goal from debutant Carles Alena saved Barcelona from an embarrassing defeat as they drew 1-1 at Hercules in the first leg of their Copa del Rey last-32 tie.
Luis Enrique made 11 changes with Saturday’s El Clasico in mind and watched his side endure a significantly more testing evening than he would have expected.
Real Madrid have announced that Gareth Bale will require surgery on the ankle injury he sustained against Sporting Lisbon. The winger will go under the knife next week and is set to miss up to three months as he recovers. Scans have shown that Bale has damaged the peroneal tendon in his right ankle during the 2-1 Champions League win in Portugal and will be out for two to three months.
Manchester City midfielder Ilkay Gundogan says his side still have a way to go before they become genuine contenders to win the Champions League. The Citizens go into the game away to Borussia Monchengladbach knowing that a win or a draw would put them well on the way to the knockout stages of the competition, with Gundogan urging his colleagues to utilise the confidence gained from a superb 3-1 win over Barcelona last time out.
Ronald Koeman insists he is completely focused on the spending three years at Everton and not on what the next move in his career might be. The Dutchman arrived on Merseyside this summer after a successful two-year stint at Southampton served as his introduction to English football.
Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu is confident Lionel Messi will spend the rest of his career with the Catalan giants. The Argentine star is due to fall out of contract in 2018 and the fact he is yet to agree to an extension has led to speculation he could depart.
Barcelona boss Luis Enrique feels Sunday’s come-from-behind 2-1 win at Sevilla will only boost his players’ belief they can win the La Liga title.
Manchester City vs Barcelona
UEFA Champions League – Group C
Date: Tuesday, 1st November 2016.
Kick-off at 19:45 UK.
Venue: Etihad Stadium, Manchester.
Barcelona’s defensive problems have increased with Jeremy Mathieu ruled out for three weeks because of a calf injury.
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has insisted that both Sergio Aguero and Vincent Kompany have a future with the club. Sergio Aguero was on the bench as City lost 4-0 to Barcelona in the Champions League, Lionel Messi scoring a hat-trick.
Guardiola will bring his new charges back to the club where he made a name for himself as both a player and a manager on Wednesday night.
The 45-year-old came through the ranks at the Nou Camp, enjoying 10 years as a Barcelona regular before leaving to finish his playing career abroad.