Manchester City say they are ‘confident’ going into their last 16 Champions League showdown with Catalan giants Barcelona.
City’s failure to win their group meant they ran the risk of landing a very tough opponent in the next stage and that has turned out to be the case as Barca came out of the hat.
However no-one at the Etihad is running scared, in fact it is quite the opposite and confidence is sky high following some impressive performances in the league coupled with last week’s 3-2 win over Bayern Munich.
Barcelona will feel they have landed the worst possible draw and will not be relishing the double header, while director of football Txiki Begiristain says his former club will be in for a tough test.
“I think it will be a great match,” he said. “Ours is a team with a lot of confidence especially after winning against the champions in Munich – that will give us a lot of confidence. Not just at home but away as well.
“We are showing that we can score in all matches. This is important in the Champions League. We scored in Plzen, in Moscow, in Munich – it should give us confidence to play against a team who have been champions many times.
“Our manager knows perfectly Barcelona because he managed in Spain for a long time. In this sense, we are confident.”
City’s chances will further be boosted by the news Argentina superstar Lionel Messi is a doubt for the first leg with a hamstring injury.
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