Manchester City Wanted to Avoid Barcelona, but the Feeling Is More Than Mutual

A few days ago Manchester City's David Silva announced to the media that he would, if possible, prefer to avoid a Spanish club in the draw for the last 16 of the Champions League.

The gods of fate, obviously not without a sense of humour, promptly pulled the name of Barcelona out of the hat as City's opponents in the competition's first knockout round—just as they were last season.

But there's a world of difference between "preferring to avoid" and "being frightened by." This time it could well be a different outcome to the 4-1 aggregate defeat suffered by City earlier this year, and I have already spoken to a couple of the City players who tell me that they feel they have every chance of going through at the expense of the Catalan side.

They sound not confident or arrogant but mature. They feel the chance is there for them to take.

City showed in their last two group games that underestimating them would be an act of folly, and Barcelona certainly won't be doing that. While Manuel Pellegrini's men would certainly have preferred different opponents at this stage, I think it's fairly safe to say that as far as Barcelona are concerned, the feeling is mutual.

Against Bayern Munich, City showed the football world that with their blood up and passions high, they can beat anyone in the world. Then, against Roma, Pellegrini's injury-ravaged side, written off by many because of the absence of players such as Yaya Toure, Vincent Kompany and especially Sergio Aguero, turned the Italians over in their own backyard.

This happened because this season's City has a stronger mental toughness and a sharper focus than was in evidence last season.

Obviously the speed of Aguero could prove to be the main thorn in the Barcelona side, but I also see the likes of Edin Dzeko potentially causing a host of problems, particularly if he can impose his height and physical presence against a Barcelona side not best known for its love of defending set pieces.

They should both be ready for the game if they don't suffer a setback to their injuries.

Silva will hopefully be back to his best, injury also permitting, and he showed more than enough in a brief comeback cameo against Roma recently to suggest that he could well be a very important player for City in both legs.

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That's the good news, although there are potential problems ahead. Toure is a world-class player but prone to a lack of tactical discipline which can create problems for his midfield team-mates in major European ties, where the tiniest error will be punished.

I see him more as a forward than a midfielder, but despite my reservations, the fact is that on his day he is a match winner and a vital ingredient in the City line-up.

Suspension ruled him out of the group match in Rome, and it would be—depending on the eventual outcome—either a monumentally brave or stunningly stupid decision to leave him out if he is available for selection.

I am also more than a little disappointed with the form shown by new defender Eliaquim Mangala. City's game relies on quick fast breaks from the moment that they regain possession, and Mangala, for whatever reason, seems incapable of passing with quality from the back and building attacks.

The chances are that Pellegrini will be looking to strengthen his squad long before the first leg in February, not just for the Champions League campaign but also to assist his challenge for a Premier League battle that, despite Chelsea's initial surge ahead at the top of the table, now looks like it might well end up going to the wire.

This time around, the defending champions are, after 16 games, in second place on 36 points, which is one place and four points ahead of where they were at the same stage last season. That said, it is a different Chelsea they are facing this time around.

But with a fair wind and a slice of good fortune, particularly on the injury front, I see no reason at all why City cannot overcome this Barcelona side nor, on their day, any other side left in the competition.