Five things Barca should look out for against Man City

First leg done and dusted. Tata Martino can well claim to whitewash the tie, but he arguably shouldn't do so, considering the performance exhibited by Manchester City in their 3-1 win over Sunderland in the Capital One Cup Final. Although the Catalans humbled the Citizens in their own backyard, there is a high chance that if any of the Barca starting XI have an off day on March 13th, the tie can turn turtle. Here, we analyze what tactics and threats does the blue side of Manchester possess to worry the Catalans.

#1 Sergio Aguero

He has to go down as the sole person the Etihad Stadium missed on that fateful night when City played Barca. While the buzz of the town was that he would start, he eventually didn't, leaving Negredo to lead the City attack, which he didn't quite do well. Aguero, Messi's close friend and his son's godfather, has always maintained his wish of playing at the Camp Nou. He will do so this time, but as a player wearing a lighter shade of blue.

Known for his lethal runs and impeccable finishing, Gerard Pique and Javier Mascherano now have a new worry in the form of the City frontman. Given City's counter attacking threat and Barca's amoebic defense line, it might just go in favour of Manchester City, unless Martino deploys Busquets deeper in midfield exclusively to counter Aguero.

#2 The Counter Attacking style of football

In an interview to BBC, Barcelona midfielder Cesc Fabregas predicted that Manchester City will solely rely on their counter attacks to beat Barcelona. Although not completely visible, the counter attacking fluidity of City was seen in the 1st leg at the Etihad. To counter those counter attacks, Martino will have to ensure that he has Dani Alves and Jordi Alba focused on David Silva and Jesus Navas respectively, else a cross or two from Navas/Silva might just turn the tie in City's favour.

To do this, it would be wise to assume that Alves and Sanchez won't play the overlapping game which they usually do, as the Catalan focus would be primarily to defend and not to attack.

#3 Yaya Toure

The big man, that's what he is. From holding down the forwards to conducting counter attacks, the Ivory Coast midfielder is a complete midfielder. His endless running and eye for goal have tormented defenses even in the 90th minute of a game. After a major mistake yet again from Martin Demichelis, which resulted in a Borini strike giving Sunderland the lead, Yaya Toure intervened and his true workmanship was visible when he did everything possible to ensure that the silverware ended up in his hands. A beautiful right foot shot precisely did the job as City won the cup.

Even in the 1st leg against Barcelona, Yaya Toura was probably the most visible City player on the pitch. Holding no qualms against his old club, Toure played like a thorough professional and held off the Barca attacks with deft precision. If Martino wants to win at the Camp Nou, deploying a midfielder or a defender to concentrate solely on the master passer of Manchester City will give him the result he wants.

#4 Samir Nasri

Samir Nasri literally gifted his club the Capital One cup when his strike put the score at 3-1 and it was game over for the opposition. Having been injured of late, Nasri has quickly regained back form and is doing exceedingly well in the recent matches. Although he faces competition from Navas for a spot in the starting XI, he might as well could be given a chance in the Camp Nou. He made a late cameo in the first leg against Barcelona, and did test Victor Valdes with a shot or two.

The most noticeable change after his entry into the pitch was that City's game suddenly changed and they got the much needed pace and aggression. Even till the final minutes, City kept passing the ball around in Barca's half until a counter attack which resulted in a beautiful Dani Alves goal that sealed the win for the visitors.

#5 James Milner

James Milner has this ability to operate on either flank. Over the past 3 years, he has become a loved player among the City fans. Although his tenacity is well acclaimed, his technique often goes unnoticed. He has an excellent range of passing, and like Navas, he can deliver poacher tempting balls into the box. If there are matches against big clubs, he is the man to look up to. He didn't disappoint against Bayern Munich and I, as a Cule, pray that he does disappoint his club when he faces FC Barcelona.