Manchester City will host Barcelona at Etihad Stadium today in a high-profile UEFA Champions League round of 16 matchup that can be live streamed by clicking this link.
Both sides finished atop their groups during the first slate of games in the Champions League, and Man City could be getting midfielder Fernandinho back for today's game. "He has a chance. He is in the squad list for tomorrow (Tuesday)," Man City boss Manuel Pellegrini said. "We will see who can start but he has worked without any problem."
His return will be major because of injuries to top scorer Sergio Aguero, out with a bad hamstring, and defender Matija Nastasic. Manchester City will have a difficult time stopping Barca star Leo Messi, who has returned from his own maladies in prime form.
"Without doubt it is very difficult (to stop) Messi because he is a top player of the world," Pellegrini said. "He does a lot of different things. He has speed, good control, a good finish. He is a good player but I don't think Barcelona is Messi. You can have Messi tight and other players will decide the game. It is important to play as a team defending and attacking."
With Pellegrini at the helm, Man City has become one of the most entertaining sides in the sport, drawing comparisons to Barcelona. Gerardo Martino of Barca stopped short of saying Man City has become a copy of Barcelona.
"I don't think City are a mini-Barcelona or a mini any team. I think they are one of the greatest teams in the world," Martino said. "They have great Spanish players like (Jesus) Navas and (David) Silva, but it is not only Spanish players. They have great players from all over the world like (Yaya) Toure, (Sergio) Aguero and Fernandinho."
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