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Pep Guardiola returns to face his former club this week as Barcelona take on Manchester City in a friendly match at the Camp Nou on Wednesday.
The game has been organized to raise funds for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis research after Blaugrana coach Juan Carlos Unzue was diagnosed with the disease.
Manchester City are currently in second place in the Premier League standings and have been impressive this season. The Cityzens were held to a 3-3 draw by Newcastle United over the weekend and have a point to prove in this match.
Barcelona are currently in fifth place in the La Liga table at the moment and have grown in stature under Xavi this year. The Blaugrana eased past Real Sociedad by a 4-1 scoreline in their previous game and will look to achieve a similar result this week.
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Barcelona vs Manchester City Head-to-Head
Barcelona have an excellent record against Manchester City and have won five out of the six matches played between the two teams. Manchester City have managed only one victory against Barcelona and will look to cut the deficit on Wednesday.
The previous meeting between the two sides took place in 2016 and ended in a 3-1 victory for Manchester City. Barcelona were outplayed on the day and will need to step up to the plate this week.
Barcelona form guide: W-D-W-W-D
Manchester City form guide: D-W-W-L-W
Barcelona vs Manchester City Team News
Barcelona
Jules Kounde is yet to be registered in La Liga but may well be able to feature in this game. Gerard Pique and Sergio Busquets did not feature against Real Sociedad and will likely be given starts against Manchester City.
Injured: None
Doubtful: None
Unavailable: None
Manchester City
Aymeric Laporte is recovering from a long-term injury and has been ruled out of this fixture. Nathan Ake picked up a knock against Newcastle last week and is unlikely to be risked in this match.
Injured: Aymeric Laporte
Doubtful: Nathan Ake
Unavailable: None
Barcelona vs Manchester City Predicted XI
Barcelona Predicted XI (4-3-3): Inaki Pena; Sergi Roberto, Gerard Pique, Jules Kounde, Jordi Alba; Sergio Busquets, Miralem Pjanic, Franck Kessie; Ansu Fati, Raphinha, Martin Braithwaite
Manchester City Predicted XI (4-3-3): Stefan Ortega; Sergio Gomez, John Stones, Ruben Dias, Rico Lewis; Cole Palmer, Kalvin Phillips, Jack Grealish; Phil Foden, Julian Alvarez, Riyad Mahrez
Barcelona vs Manchester City Prediction
Barcelona have made progress since the turn of the year but are far from the finished product at the moment. Ansu Fati was sensational against Real Sociedad and will likely be rewarded with some valuable experience against one of Europe's best teams.
Pep Guardiola and Xavi are no strangers to each other and will need to spring a few surprises to pull off a victory in this fixture. Manchester City are in better shape as a unit and hold a slight upper hand going into this game.
Prediction: Barcelona 2-3 Manchester City
