BARCA FACE CITEH

Barcelona will be meeting Manchester City in the last 16 stage of the Champions league and it is one of the standout fixtures of the competition. Even though this is the first time City will be appearing at this stage of the competition, they are considered as one of the favourites for the title after having spent in excess of £ 1 billion on the squad in the last few years. They already possess some of the best players in the world like Sergio Aguero and Yaya Touré in their respective positions. As a result, Barcelona need to be at their best in order to beat City according to midfielder Andres Iniesta.

The future of the Spaniard was finally sorted after he signed a new contract with the club. It was heavily speculated that he would leave Barcelona, where he has been playing for the entirety of his career, at the end of the season. City were rumoured to be one of the destinations since they would be one of the few clubs who could afford his astronomical wages. Iniesta is regarded as one of the finest creative midfielders in the world, but he has been marginalised after the arrival of Cesc Fabregas.

The first match will be at the Etihad stadium.

“We know Manchester City and they are powerful, especially this season. To defeat the English, it is necessary that we are at our best. We have two hard matches. The danger against City is not only the physical power of English clubs but also the good touchline team with Pellegrini on the bench. But we respect the rivals and we are prepared to fight. Barca arrive in 2014 with a positive atmosphere,” said Iniesta. Barcelona are likely to be at their full strength after the return of Messi following a long injury absence.