Manchester City v Barcelona background

For the second year running, Manchester City FC and FC Barcelona meet in the last 16 of the UEFA Champions League – with the English side hoping for a different outcome than 12 months ago when Barcelona won 4-1 on aggregate.

• The clubs have common ground beyond last season's encounter. City's squad features Spaniards Jesús Navas and David Silva along with six other players signed from Spanish football including Yaya Touré, recruited from Barcelona in 2010. Additionally, they have a director of football, Txiki Begiristain, who knows Barcelona better than most.

• This is only City's second appearance in the round of 16, but for Barcelona it is the 11th in a row. Their record at this stage over the past decade is eight wins and two defeats. The Azulgrana have qualified for the quarter-finals in each of the last seven seasons.

Previous meetings
• The teams met for the first time in a competitive fixture last term. Barcelona won the first leg in Manchester 2-0, Lionel Messi (penalty) and Daniel Alves scoring. Messi and Alves struck again in a 2-1 second-leg victory, sandwiching Vincent Kompany's goal. City had a man sent off in both games: first Martín Demichelis, then Pablo Zabaleta.

• The lineups in Manchester on 18 February 2014 were:
Manchester City: Hart, Zabaleta, Kompany, Demichelis, Clichy, Touré, Fernandinho, Navas (Nasri 58), Silva, Kolarov (Lescott 58), Negredo (Džeko 74).
Barcelona: Valdés, Alves, Piqué, Mascherano, Alba, Xavi, Busquets, Fàbregas (Sergi Roberto 86), Alexis Sánchez (Neymar 74), Messi, Iniesta.

• Barcelona were the visitors on 10 August 2003 for City's inaugural match in a stadium built for the 2002 Commonwealth Games. Nicolas Anelka and Trevor Sinclair scored either side of Javier Saviola for Barcelona, who featured Xavi Hernández in their starting XI and Andrés Iniesta as a substitute.

• Touré played against a City team including Pablo Zabaleta when they won 1-0 at Barcelona in a pre-season friendly in August 2009.

Match background

Manchester City
• City reached the last 16 on the back of an impressive escape act in Group E. They had taken only two points from their first four fixtures but then beat FC Bayern München and AS Roma to snatch second place.

• Their last-gasp 3-2 comeback victory over Bayern on matchday five was just their third win in their last ten European home fixtures.

• City's home record against Spanish clubs is W2 D2 L1. Sergio Agüero has scored in his last two home games for City against Liga visitors – the 1-1 draw with Real Madrid CF (2012/13) and 2-1 success over Villarreal CF (2011/12).

• While City are seeking to make the quarter-finals for the first time, in Manuel Pellegrini they have a coach who has been there with Villarreal (2006, 2009) and Málaga CF (2012).

Barcelona
• Four-time European champions Barcelona are pursuing an eighth successive quarter-final appearance.

• Barcelona lost their first away match in this campaign at Paris Saint-Germain (2-3) but subsequently won at AFC Ajax (2-0) and APOEL FC (4-0).

• The Blaugrana's victory at City last year was their first in five trips to Manchester – the first four were at Old Trafford against Manchester United FC. It was also their first success on English soil since a 3-1 UEFA Champions League final triumph over United at Wembley in May 2011.

• Barcelona's record away to English opposition is W7 D8 L14.

Coach and player links
• During nine seasons coaching in Spain with Villarreal, Real Madrid and Málaga, Pellegrini managed only four victories against Barcelona. The Chilean lost both Liga 'clásicos' as Madrid coach in 2009/10 (0-1 a, 0-2 h) and his overall record against Barcelona reads P22 W4 D4 L14.

• City's director of football, Begiristain, filled the same role at Barcelona between 2003 and 2010. He was a member of the Blaugrana's 1992 European Cup-winning squad and also landed four Liga titles, the European Cup Winners' Cup and UEFA Super Cup.

• During three campaigns with Barcelona (2007–10), Touré made 74 Liga outings and scored four goals, winning two league championships and the 2009 UEFA Champions League.

• Zabaleta spent three years at Barcelona's city rivals RCD Espanyol (2005–08) and featured in four Liga derbies (W0 D2 L2).

• Agüero hit five goals in ten Liga games versus Barcelona for Club Atlético de Madrid (2006–11). His first home match against Barcelona ended in a 6-0 defeat in May 2007.

• Frank Lampard claimed three goals in ten appearances against Barcelona as a Chelsea FC player, beating them in the 2011/12 semi-finals and 2004/05 round of 16, but losing in the 2008/09 semi-finals and 2005/06 round of 16.

• David Silva faced Claudio Bravo when his Spain side – also including Jordi Alba, Sergio Busquets and Iniesta – had their 2014 FIFA World Cup elimination sealed by a 2-0 reverse to Chile. Bravo's Chile subsequently went out on penalties to a Brazil team containing City's Fernandinho as well as Neymar and Alves.

• Luis Suárez struck both Uruguay goals past Joe Hart in the 2-1 victory that ousted England from the 2014 World Cup. With Liverpool FC, Suárez scored once in six games against City (W2 D3 L1).

• Gaël Clichy was an unused Arsenal FC substitute in the 2006 UEFA Champions League final defeat by Barcelona. Clichy and Samir Nasri later played in Arsenal sides eliminated by Barcelona in 2009/10 and 2010/11.

• Navas lined up alongside Alves and Adriano in the Sevilla FC team that overcame Barcelona 3-0 in the 2006 UEFA Super Cup.

• Gerard Piqué spent four years in Manchester as a United player from 2004–08, making 23 appearances but never facing City.

Match facts

Manchester City
• Agüero, Clichy, Edin Džeko and Zabaleta are all a booking away from a ban. Touré completes a three-match suspension.

• City have played 13 games since the end of the group stage, their record reading: W7 D4 L2.

• The Citizens' 4-1 win at Stoke City FC on 11 February was their first victory in six matches in all competitions.

• Agüero registered twice against Stoke, ending a six-game scoring drought. He also converted a second-minute penalty in Saturday's 5-0 win against Newcastle United FC.

• Saturday's clean sheet was City's first in 11 fixtures in all competitions, since a 3-0 triumph over Crystal Palace FC on 20 December.

• January signing Wilfried Bony started every match – scoring two goals, both in the quarter-finals against Algeria – as Ivory Coast won the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations in Equatorial Guinea. He made his City debut as a second-half substitute against Newcastle.

• Touré was also ever-present for Ivory Coast, his one goal coming in the semi-finals against DR Congo. The Stoke game was the only match City won during his absence.

UEFA Champions League squad changes
• In: Wilfried Bony (Swansea City AFC)
• Out: Stevan Jovetić, Matija Nastasić (FC Schalke 04, loan)

Barcelona
• Barcelona have won 13 of their 16 games in all competitions since matchday six, drawing one and losing two, including Saturday's 1-0 loss at home to Málaga CF. That was Barcelona's second Camp Nou reverse of the season, equalling the mark for each of the last two seasons; they have not lost three times at home since 2008/09.

• Before the weekend the Blaugrana had won their last 11 fixtures, since losing 1-0 to Real Sociedad de Fútbol on 4 January.

• The Catalan club defeated SD Huesca (12-1 on aggregate), Elche CF (9-0) and Club Atlético de Madrid (4-2) en route to the Copa del Rey semi-finals, where they lead Villarreal CF 3-1 after the home first leg. The return is on 4 March.

• Messi registered his 23rd Liga hat-trick, equalling Cristiano Ronaldo's record, as Barcelona beat Levante UD 5-0 at home on 15 February on the occasion of his 300th top-flight appearance for the club.

• The Argentina striker has scored 14 goals – including another hat-trick, against RC Deportivo La Coruna on 18 January – in 2015.

• Thomas Vermaelen is out for the rest of the season, while Douglas is a doubt for the first leg because of a torn thigh muscle sustained in mid-January.

UEFA Champions League squad changes
• In: None
• Out: None