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We are a week away from the biggest game of the season so far for Barcelona, as they start their quest to the UEFA Champions League title with a Round of 16 date with Manchester City scheduled for next Tuesday.
A key piece of Barcelona's last UCL championship run, New York City FC legendary striker David Villa, offered his piece of commentary on his expectations for the clash between the Blaugrana and the Citizens. Here's a few nuggets of his answers:
"I think it is a very close tie. City and Barcelona are two of the best clubs in the world with great players so I’m sure it will be a very good tie to watch.
"I think that Barcelona was also playing well before but they didn’t get the results and always when you win games you have more confidence.
"Now they are in a very good form. They win games, they have closed the gap with Real Madrid and they won against Atletico - a very difficult team to beat - in Copa del Rey so they are in a good moment.
"I’m sure that Manuel Pellegrini and all his staff know Barcelona very well. When you face this kind of teams you have to make sure that you make it difficult for them and try to take advantage of his weaknesses."
Source: MCFC.com
Nice analysis, Villa. There's not too much to disagree there. The 4-1 aggregate result of last season's tie didn't reflect how difficult it was for Barça to get two wins. Especially because Tata Martino had lost control of the locker room and things were already messy.
By then, Barça was in terrible shape, following a nightmare January and the usual Hlebuary. Now, the Blaugrana are riding an impressive eleven-game winning streak, with Lionel Messi and Neymar looking unstoppable, and Luis Suárez starting to heat up and get in shape for the most important part of the season.
I know we have MSN, but I'd like some Villa against City. I miss him a lot. Is that just me?
