Manchester City v Barcelona - 7.45pm GMT Tues 1st Nov - UEFA Champions League Match Day Thread

Buzz Lightyear

Buzz Lightyear

Alert Team
I think I am in the minority in thinking the Champions League draw is unfair. Unless we actually win the Premier or the Champions League outright, we will always draw Real Madrid, Barcelona or Bayern Munich.

This season we have Barcelona, which is a team I love to watch, except when they play Manchester City and following our exit from the English Football League Cup, defeat against Tottenham, draws against Southampton and Everton and a thumping by Barcelona in the away game not in any particular order.

We play Barcelona together with Messie, Neymar and Suarez in our home game, out is Bravo red carded as we all know and therefore banned until next year and Willy Caballero takes over in goal.

Pep says that we were in the game until the Bravo incident, but do we have a chance of taking anything from this game. I am almost certain that Barcelona will win the mini league and could do us a favour in beating Borussia Mönchengladbach and Celtic.

We can do ourselves a favour by getting a result from this game, Barcelona will put out their strongest team and that means containing the three amigos, if we can stop these, then we do stand a chance.

Over the weekend City and Barcelona both had wins, I suspect once again that Barcelona had the easiest of games and therefore will be once again stronger than City.

City however after the worst run of games without a win came to an end with a good result away to West Bromwich, with what looked like a return to form for Aguero and pep this time will not leave him on the bench.
Willy Caballero takes over in goal for the banned first choice Bravo, who can be excellent on his day.

City have a right back problem, even if Pablo Zabaleta, is fit to play, he has lost that yard of pace to put players like Neymar in his pocket like he has done to so many others.
What does Pep do?, Does he play with Fernando again or take a chance that the experience of Pablo Zabaleta will win out in the end or a gamble on Maffeo.

As for Barcelona, players to watch – all of them

Manchester City and Barcelona head to head Played 5 Won 0 drew 0 Lost 5 Goals for 2 goals Against 11

Latest odds win City 7/4 – Barcelona evens Draw 11/4

Out Bravo, Sagna, Delph
 
We will go 3 3 3 -1 like we did v the baggies. Will Vinnie come in? I think he will start. Barcelona have key players injured, so with a bit of luck we can win this now Kun is running further and has found his shooting boots again. Come on City. :082:
 
I think Bravo's red is only a one match ban, so he should be back before next year. I have a funny feeling Maffeo wasn't in the squad at the weekend to let him recover for this game. I think Vinnie will start, if he gets through training this week ok :048:
 
I think you may be right, but had that occurred in the Premier a straight red is a three match ban, anyone have any ruling on this, there should be a different colour for a sending off with a one match ban.
 
A 3 match ban is only for a straight red for violent conduct (or however it's officially described) :048:
 
Barcelona are in town and will train at the Etihad later this afternoon. Then its pre-match press conference time.

I predicted within the Beat the Clock comp a 2-1 City win and I have no reason to change my mind.

Come on CITY :082:
 
Come On You Blues. Another opportunity to make a big statement in Europe tomorrow. Pour it on!

Pep this afternoon:

"I have never thought that we can't win a football match and I never will. Even when we lost 4-0. It's difficult and we know we need to play almost perfectly to win - and if not, we will congratulate them and move on.

"Maybe we are going to change the way we press, our build up, control. I would like to play in a good level for 90 minutes."

"Hopefully our quality can make the difference tomorrow. For them it's not a final, for us it is like a final.

"There is just three games left. We dropped points in Glasgow and we have to recover those points."
 
Don't think we will get a better chance of beating this mob than we have now with their injuries. Saturdays welcome return to the winners enclosure will give us a bit of confidence.

I watched the Celtic Dons match albeit heavily sedated with shiraz and cannot believe we didn't get 6 against them.

The combination of Fern/Gun/Merlin/Kun is really looking rather good. I fancy us to win 2-0.
 
Pre-Match Video Previews

http://www.manchestercity.vitalfootball.co.uk/article.asp?a=573323
 
'Unless we actually win the Premier or the Champions League outright, we will always draw Real Madrid, Barcelona or Bayern Munich'.

No doubt it's been said before, but this will always seem to happen to us. Four clubs from Spain, one goes in pot 1, the others due to rankings likely to be in pot two.
Leicester should, and probably will, make the most of their draw this year!
 
Well, we can avoid at least 2 of them by winning the league nowadays. at least that's improved from the last time we won the league
 
The League looks pretty close this season and Chelsea unencumbered by the EFLC and Europe would have the better of resting their players
 
You must log in or register to reply here.