Barcelona vs. Manchester City Champions League Preview: Samir Nasri Thinks Barca Is Beatable
In less than a week, Barcelona and Manchester City will face off in one of the most hotly anticipated matchups of this year's Champions League.
Barcelona enters as the favorite but Manchester City's offensive displays throughout 2013-14 make them a solid contender as well. City's Samir Nasri not only agrees with this assessment but even claims that Barcelona is as weak as it has ever been.
"In the Champions League, we are going to have an exciting game against Barca. For me, they are more beatable than in the past," he stated, according to ESPN. "Personally, I think we can knock them out. If our injured players are back, with a full team, I think we can beat them."
City has sputtered a bit offensively in recent weeks. The team was shutout 1-0 at home against Chelsea and then tied Norwich City 0-0 on the road.
However, Barcelona's defense has been porous all year long. The team was exposed in a recent 3-2 loss against Valencia. The team has gotten some momentum from the play of Lionel Messi but will be facing a team that is far more physical than any squad that they have faced in the Spanish League.
Physicality will play a huge role in this tie; Barcelona was outmatched physically by Bayern Munich a year ago in what wound up being a 7-0 aggregate defeat. City lost to Bayern Munich 3-1 at home in its first Champions League match with the champs; the team bounced back with a 3-2 win in Munich and should be confident in its chances to take down Barcelona.