Manchester City will be wary of suffering another mauling when they welcome European giants Barcelona in their Champions League Group C match on Tuesday at the Etihad.
The Catalans thumped the English side 4-0 in the first leg, completely outclassing the latter as City manager Pep Guardiola was humiliated on his return to the Camp Nou.
While it is difficult to look beyond a Barcelona victory, a similar scoreline is unlikely as the Sky Blues will be determined to script an upset.
Manchester City
City have had mixed results recently, drawing with Southampton at home before losing to arch-rivals Manchester United in the League Cup but did enjoy a rout over lowly West Brom on the weekend.
Striker Sergio Aguero was dropped for the trip to the Nou Camp as manager Pep Guardiola went in with a questionable no-striker formation that backfired spectacularly. The Argentine is back in form after a mini-slump of sorts with a brace over West Brom and should lead a City attack that isn't lacking in firepower.
Summer signing Ilkay Gundogan has been impressive in recent weeks and the one-time Barcelona target could wreak havoc with his surging runs from midfield. Young Raheem Sterling has been a little off-colour recently but with his speed could prove key threat against a leaky Barca back-line.
City's main source of concern will be the unavailability of a right-back with Pablo Zabaleta and Bacary Sagna confirmed absentees from the clash at the Etihad Stadium. Youngster Pablo Maffeo could feature in their stead in a routine 4-4-2 or Guardiola could persist with his unconventional 3-5-2 formation which saw off West Brom.
They are in danger of missing out on the knockout stages, as third-placed Borussia Moenchegladbach are expected to beat Celtic in the other Group C game.
Hence, the Sky Blues know that nothing less than a draw is the minimum that is expected of their expensively assembled squad.
Barcelona
Barcelona have eked out two close wins over Valencia and Granada since their triumph over Manchester City, leaving no doubt over which is the more in-form team between them.
Their attacking trident of Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez and Neymar or 'MSN' as they are more commonly known as, remain the most potent forward line in world football.
Their midfield of Ivan Rakitic, Sergio Busquets and Arda Turan is extremely underrated and is a vital cog in the Barca machine. Injured maestro Andres Iniesta's absence leaves a gaping hole, but they have enough quality to cover for the Spaniard.
However, if a weak link exists, it is the Catalans' defence which will be missing the talents of Gerard Pique and Jordi Alba due to injury concerns. To compound their woes, Jeremy Mathieu is suspended for the clash as well.
Super Stat: Manchester City have been drawn with Barcelona in each of the past three seasons and have lost all five games against the Catalans so far!
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