Preview: Manchester City vs. Barcelona

After two failed attempts, Manchester City finally advanced beyond the group stage of the Champions League this season.

Manuel Pellegrini's men finished runners-up to holders Bayern Munich, which resulted in them being paired with four-time winners Barcelona for a place in the quarter-finals of the competition. It's a tie that many regard to be the most eye-catching of the round.

In terms of the starting lineup, Sergio Aguero has returned to training following a short stint on the sidelines with a hamstring injury. However, if he does feature, then it's likely to be as a substitute.

The same goes for Brazilian midfielder Fernandinho, who has been suffering with a thigh problem.

However, there is more positive news for Pellegrini in the form of Samir Nasri, who returned from a five-week layoff with a knee injury to score against Chelsea in the FA Cup on Saturday.

Consequently, the Frenchman could be reinstated to the team, particularly if City's Chilean boss opts to use a 4-5-1 formation rather than a 4-4-2 system.

Should Pellegrini go for the former of those two strategies, then Alvaro Negredo is likely to feature as a lone frontman, with Nasri and David Silva in particular offering support from advanced midfield roles.

As for Barcelona, they were boosted by Neymar's appearance against Rayo Vallecano last time out.

The striker had been expected to miss this clash with an ankle injury, but he came off the bench to score in the 6-0 win over Rayo, although he may have to settle for a place among the substitutes again.

Midfielder Xavi was rested for the Rayo rout, but coach Gerardo Martino is expected to recall the 34-year-old for the trip to England.

These two clubs have met on six previous occasions, but all of those were friendly encounters. Barcelona were in fact the first team to visit the Etihad Stadium for a football match back in 2003, as City came out on top 2-1 thanks to goals from Nicolas Anelka and Trevor Sinclair.

Recent form

Man City: WWWLDW

Barcelona: WLWWDW

Possible starting lineups

Man City: Hart; Zabaleta, Kompany, Demichelis, Clichy; Garcia, Toure; Milner, Silva, Nasri; Negredo

Barcelona: Valdes; Alves, Bartra, Pique, Alba; Busquets, Xavi, Fabregas; Sanchez, Pedro, Messi

Sports Mole says: 1-2