Manchester City travel to Barcelona in an exciting Champions League group stage clash, and ahead of the game, Kevin de Bruyne made a bold remark: we do not fear the Blaugrana!
The Belgian ace said (as per ESPN FC): "The trainer has his idea -- we do not know exactly but it can be very good," he told reporters. "We do not fear. The style of play is very dominant and we have not played badly [against Everton]. We just have not scored more, that's all."
The Wednesday trip to Camp Nou will be a daunting task, one to fear, regardless of De Bruyne’s remarks.
Of course there are a number of reasons, number one being they are La Liga champions Barcelona. Here we explore another four, less obvious reasons to fear the Catalan giants.
Man City’s poor record vs. Barca
The English giants have crossed paths with the Spanish champions in the Champions League on four previous occasions. Surprisingly, the Citizens have lost on all incidents.
The Etihad side have two counter arguments against their win-less record, though: their biggest loss was a mere 2-0 defeat and they saw red in three of the four meetings.
Nonetheless, the fact that Aguero and Co. couldn’t avoid defeat at their own stadium shows that even drawing with the Blaugrana is difficult.
The return of Messi
When Messi picked up an injury in the 1-1 draw with Atletico, putting him in danger of missing Wednesday’s game, Man City fans could have been forgiven for secretly – or publicly – celebrating.
However, the Argentine made his return one game prior to their clash and is now fit to be unleashed against the Premier League outfit.
It should be noted that La Pulga has found the back of the net twice in their four encounters.
And to make matters worse, Leo is only the second best striker in 2016
Most goals in 2016:
— MESSISTATS (@MessiStats) October 16, 2016
45 ― @LuisSuarez9
44 ― Leo Messi
41 ― @Cristiano
39 ― @Ibra_official
35 ― @lewy_official
35 ― @EranZahavi
Confidence is key, but it doesn’t side with the Citizens
Gone are the days when Pep Guardiola’s boys were already labeled the champions of England despite their being a lot left to play for, as a string of disappointing results have brought the Citizens back down to earth.
After winning his first six games in England, the Spaniard is now without a win in his last three games in all competitions, drawing with Celtic in the Champions League and Everton on Saturday; whilst losing 2-0 to Spurs.
Barca suffered a shocking 4-3 loss to Celta Vigo before the international break, but bounced back immediately afterwards with a 4-0 thrashing of Deportivo.
The scary fortress that is Camp Nou
Barca are undefeated in 20 home Champions League games, a run dating back to October 2009. Furthermore, from 20 Camp Nou clashes with Premier League sides, Liverpool (February 2007) were the only club to beat the Blaugrana.
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