Manchester City vs. Barcelona: Team News, Preview, Live Stream, TV Info for UCL
Barcelona can secure first place in Group C of the UEFA Champions League on Tuesday if they manage to defeat Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium, just under a fortnight after trouncing the English giants 4-0 at the Camp Nou.
Manager Luis Enrique will be banking on fourth-placed Celtic to stop Borussia Monchengladbach from winning in their clash in order to clinch first place with two group-stage games remaining.
That being said, a second consecutive win over the Citizens would be reward enough for the Group C leaders, who boast a five-point advantage at the summit and have already proved themselves against their closest rivals.
Former Barca boss and current City chief Pep Guardiola will have home comforts for the return fixture, and the Spaniard will be praying his team can recover for a must-win fixture if he expects to top the group.
Read on for a preview leading into Tuesday's titanic Champions League encounter, complete with the latest team news and viewing information to make sure you don't miss out on the action.
| 1 | Barcelona | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 13 | 1 | +12 | 9 |
| 2 | Manchester City | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 4 |
| 3 | Borussia Monchengladbach | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 6 | −3 | 3 |
| 4 | Celtic | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 12 | −9 | 1 |
Date: Tuesday, November 1
Time: 7:45 p.m. GMT/3:45 p.m. ET
Venue: Etihad Stadium, Manchester
TV Info: BT Sport 2 (UK), Fox Sports 1 (US)
Live Stream: BT Sport app (UK), Fox Soccer 2Go (US)
| W West Bromwich Albion 0-4 Manchester City | W Barcelona 1-0 Granada |
| L Manchester United 1-0 Manchester City | L Barcelona 0-1 Espanyol |
| D Southampton 1-1 Manchester City | W Valencia 2-3 Barcelona |
| L Barcelona 4-0 Manchester City | W Barcelona 4-0 Manchester City |
Team News
Barcelona have the greater injury problems coming into Tuesday's matchup, with the absences of Gerard Pique, Jeremy Mathieu and left-back Jordi Alba handing them significant concerns in defence.
The Blaugrana recently revealed that Mathieu would be absent for three weeks, while the Press Association (h/t the Mirror) said an ankle injury will keep Pique out of the game in east Manchester. Goal's Ben Hayward noted there will be a massive absence in midfield too:
Andres Iniesta's injury means Ivan Rakitic could have Rafinha and Denis Suarez for partners in midfield after Sergio Busquets missed Saturday's 1-0 win over Granada, although it's likely the anchor was merely rested. Juan Jimenez of Spanish daily AS reported Arda Turan should make his return to the squad.
On City's side of things, the main worries lie at right-back after Pablo Zabaleta joined Bacary Sagna on the treatment table, while midfielder Fabian Delph is still making his recovery from a muscle injury, per ESPN FC's Ben Dinnery:
If both Zabaleta and Sagna are out of the game, it could leave youngster Pablo Maffeo, 19, to deputise in the role, just as he did for Wednesday's EFL Cup derby defeat to Manchester United.
Sergio Aguero should start in attack this time around after proving his fitness with a brace against West Bromwich Albion on Saturday, while Kevin De Bruyne could return to the starting XI after appearing off the bench during that 4-0 win.
Captain Vincent Kompany was also on the bench for Saturday's win over the Baggies but failed to feature, leaving some doubt as to whether the Belgian will be risked in the starting XI against Barca.
Predicted Manchester City Lineup (4-2-3-1): Claudio Bravo; Pablo Zabaleta, Aleksandar Kolarov, John Stones, Nicolas Otamendi; Fernandinho, Ilkay Gundogan; David Silva, Kevin De Bruyne, Raheem Sterling; Sergio Aguero.
Predicted Barcelona Lineup (4-3-3): Marc-Andre ter Stegen; Sergi Roberto, Lucas Digne, Javier Mascherano, Samuel Umtiti; Arda Turan, Ivan Rakitic, Sergio Busquets; Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez, Neymar.
Preview
Barcelona make their way to the Etihad Stadium having recorded a far-from-glamourous 1-0 win over Granada on Saturday, but that win took them within two points of La Liga's summit nonetheless.
Prior to their win over the Citizens, the Blaugrana demolished Deportivo La Coruna 4-0, and it will be of some intrigue to see how a more laboured preparation sees them perform this time around. ESPN FC's Dermot Corrigan believed European distractions were in play on Saturday:
On the other hand, an Aguero-inspired performance at the Hawthorns on Saturday saw City soar against the Baggies, with Ilkay Gundogan also notching a brace.
Argentina's Aguero looks to have rediscovered his scoring stride at precisely the right moment, and he should start ahead of Nolito, who lined up in Barcelona:
One major inhibitor for the home side is the potential absence of Kompany, who has been chronically kept back by recurring injury woes this season and could make the world of difference at full fitness.
The MSN trio, Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez and Neymar, will undoubtedly fancy its chances more without the centre-back present. Barca could relieve a great deal of Champions League pressure with a win in Manchester.
.jpg?w=480 "NFL Draft Football")
.jpg?w=600 "Fans React to Simpson Pick 😱")
.jpg?w=600 "Vet Wideout Landing Spots After Draft 📍")