It’s going to be a sold-out Nou Camp on Wednesday night as Pep Guardiola returns to the ground where he enjoyed many successful moments as a fan, player and manager of Barcelona. He will be desperate to repeat those moments but this time as Manchester City manager
His side will be looking to get their first victory in four games after dropping points in the Premier league against Spurs and Everton, along with their 3-3 stalemate against Celtic in their last Champions League fixture.
Also Read: Barcelona transfer news: Manchester City were ready to spend £90m for Luis Suarez in the summer
Barcelona, on the other hand, sits pretty at the top of the table with six points, two ahead of their English opponents. The good news for the home team heading into today’s game is their star player Lionel Messi has been declared fit just in time to lead Barcelona’s charge against City.
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For many reasons, this is probably the most anticipated clashes in the Champions league, so without further ado, let’s look at the 5 interesting things to look forward to from the match.
#1 Can Pep Guardiola come out on top at the Nou Camp?
When Pep Guardiola made his debut in the opposition dugout at the Nou Camp, 18 months ago, his Bayern Munich team fought tooth and nail but capitulated to the Spanish giants in the final minutes. The man who led the Catalan club to 14 of 19 possible titles in four seasons will visit his boyhood club on Wednesday, but this time, he will be at the helm of Manchester City.
The two-time Premier League Champions have lost all four of their last five Champions league meetings against Barcelona and Guardiola himself tasted defeat over two legs in the Semifinal with Bayern Munich in 2015.
With everything in favour of Luis Enrique’s men ahead of the highly anticipated clash at the Nou Camp, Pep Guardiola has warned Barcelona by saying that he is going all out for a victory on Wednesday.
"I have never thought about the next game thinking a draw would be a good result," said Guardiola after a 1-1 stalemate against Everton.
"Of course it is complicated. No win in Glasgow means we have to take points off Barcelona there or here [at the Etihad], and especially in Germany [against Borussia Monchengladbach] as well. “
He continued by saying, "We have four games left, we have to win two. We have to make six points to be in the next step. We are going to try to win the first points in the next game. That is for sure."
#2 Will Manchester City’s defence stop MSN?
Pep Guardiola might be the best tactician in world football right now, however, he knows that it's not easy for the Manchester city defence to stop the deadly attacking trident of Messi, Neymar and Suarez.
If you analyse his managerial career in Barcelona and Bayern Munich, he never cared about the defence as he concentrated only on how to dominate possessions and destroy the opponents.
In the Premier league so far, he has been switching the full backs and defensive midfielders to the backline (in typical Guardiola style) and these tactics has helped him at times, if not every time. However, he knows that the real test for him and his back three lies when they go against the most formidable three in world football on Wednesday.
Last time when he visited Camp Nou he opted for a 4-3-3 formation and the Bayern Munich defence were well drilled until the 77th minute. But Lionel Messi’s two moments of genius plus a late Neymar strike spoiled pep Guardiola’s first return to his boyhood club as an opposition manager.
“When Messi is like this there is no defensive system or coach can stop him, it’s always impossible,“ said Guardiola after the defeat.
Manchester City have already conceded 7 goals in their past four Champions league meetings against Barcelona, therefore it’s understood that John Stones & Co needs to be at the top of their game to get a headline result on Wednesday.
#3 Can Barcelona pass the real test?
After Rafa Benitez’s Liverpool defeated Barcelona at the Nou camp in 2007, there have been 19 English trips to the Catalan ground. In those games, the home team have won 11 matches and drawn eight; it shows how destructive they have been against the English clubs in their home territory.
This time, although Barcelona have a better record against Pep Guardiola’s men ahead of the clash, it won’t be as straightforward as it was in the previous years. The five-time Champions League winners have been fairly inconsistent this season, mixing big wins with some disappointing displays including a home and away defeat to Alves and Celta Vigo respectively so far in the La Liga.
Moreover, except their 1-1 draw against Athletico Madrid, the La Liga giants haven’t faced any big teams in the competition both domestically and in the Champions League. Therefore, the home fixture against Manchester City could prove to be a big task for them.
#4 Will Kevin De Bruyne be an X factor?
There is no denying the fact that Kevin De Bruyne is turning out to be an instrumental piece in Manchester City’s puzzle since the big money move of nearly £55m from Wolfsburg in 2015. He was solid under Pelligrini and impeccable under Guardiola so far.
The Belgian international has already bagged 2 goals and 5 assists in the English top flight and has been the chief orchestrator for Manchester City this season.
KDB injured his knee at the end of September after Guardiola hailed the influential playmaker as second in class to Lionel Messi. His enforced absence proved to be the major loss as it not only ended his team’s 10 matches winning streak, also it handed them their first PL loss in the current season.
Although he missed a penalty against Everton in his first taste of action after recovering from the injury, there is no denying that the 25-year-old playmaker will be a creative force for Manchester City at the Nou Camp
#5. 3-5-2 or 4-3-3 for Barcelona?
After Barca’s thumping 4-0 win over Deportivo on Saturday, Luis Enrique was asked if he would use the same 3-5-2 formation against Manchester City on Wednesday. “Our centre-backs are quick and I don`t rule out any option [against Manchester City]. We played with a back three against Paris Saint-Germain before [in Europe]. What`s certain, though, is that I will not give away what we will do,” he replied
After hearing his comments it is understood that the Spanish manager will keep everyone guessing over his tactical plans until his Barcelona side to face Manchester City is confirmed.
Enrique adopted a 3-5-2 formation for the second time in the season on Saturday but with Messi fully fit and expected to start, it seems that he will revert back to Barca’s trusted formation of 4-3-3 against Manchester City.
