Everything you need to know about FC Barcelona v Manchester City

Catch up on all the news in the lead-up to this evening’s match at the Camp Nou between the Catalan and English giants

Press conferences from Tata Martino and Javier Mascherano

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Where and when to watch Barça – Manchester City

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23 players called up for the match against Manchester City

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Barça and City aim to keep clean sheets

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Touré Yaya, the latest to return to the Camp Nou

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Xavi: “Esperàvem un City amb més pilota”

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Sergio Agüero: 4 goals in 11 games against Barça

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Barça-City, three weeks later: how they come into the match at the Camp Nou

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Leo Messi is a sharpshooter in the first knock-out round of the Champions League

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Magical night for Barcelona-based City fans

Magical night for Barcelona-based City fans

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Match preview: FC Barcelona – Manchester City FC: It's time to focus on the Champions League

FC Barcelona will leave La Liga to one side and try to make good on the 0-2 from the first leg against Manchester City

City need two goals to force overtime and three to directly access the quarter-finals of the competition

FC Barcelona will play the most important match of the season this Wednesday evening. Barça will host Manchester City at the Camp Nou for the second leg of the Champions League knock-out round at 3:45 EST; 8:45 PM CET. The 0-2 from the first leg is an important advantage, but it’s better to not focus too much on that result and go into this evening’s game as if it were 0-0.

One of challenges the team face is to leave behind the negative results from league play. The 0-1 away to Valladolid, which left Barça four points adrift of the top spot in the league, should be left behinf as the team come into the match at the Camp Nou. It’s time to change the chip, as they say in Catalonia and Spain.

In order to receive Manchester City, Gerardo Martino has called up 23 footballers to the team. All available players, besides Isaac Cuenca and Jonathan Dos Santos – who are injured – made the team. The manager must cut five players from the squad before kick off.

The British team come into the match at the Camp Nou with the obligation of trying to fight back from the 0-2 deficit from the first leg. They need two goals to force overtime and three if they want to mount a convincing comeback and qualify directly for the quarter finals of the competition.

The morale level of the Citizens is similar to Barça’s: Wigan booted Pellegrini’s team from the FA Cup (1-2) while Barça have lost two of its three league fixtures in the last three weeks.

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Final training session before facing Man City

The 23 players picked by Tata Martino worked out this Wednesday morning in the Camp Nou

Nine hours before the Champions League game with Manchester City kicks off, the first team have trained in the match venue, the Camp Nou. Tata Martino went over the final details with the 23 players he has picked, although this evening he going to have to drop five names from the list.

After the session, the players went to Hotel Princesa Sofía, where they already spent the night. They will be heading back to the stadium at around 7.00 PM CET.

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Azulgrana RoundUp, March 2-9 – Homage to Carles Puyol

After the captain’s decision to leave FC Barcelona was announced this week, team-mates, managers, the media and fans rallied to show their support to the outgoing center back

Saying that the 2014/15 season will be different is an understatement. This week Carles Puyol made a surprise announcement that he’d be hanging up the Blaugrana strip at the end of the season. The reaction to the captain’s decision was as widespread as it was sincere.

“They can look all they want, but they’ll never find the new Puyol”

After Puyol’s midweek press conference, Gerard Piqué penned an open letter to his captain. The message is as follows:

You were my guardian angel.

The day has arrived. You are leaving. It’s the law of life, but it is tough for me to imagine Barça without you. If I look back and remember Paris or Rome, the first image that comes to my mind is you lifting the European Cup. You gave the honour of lifting the trophy in Wembley to Abi, which just makes you even greater. My generation and those that come after do not know what the club will be like without Puyi in defence branding the captain’s armband and the number 5 on the back of his shirt. I think that nothing will ever be the same.

I met you 6 years ago. You were the captain and the emblem of the team and I was just a kid arriving, set on conquering the world. From day one we had a great relationship, both on and off the field. By your side I felt protected and I knew that if one day I made a mistake you’d always be there to save me. You were my guardian angel.

I know that I will miss our talks in the locker room, your advice and especially you giving us hell on the pitch. You are unique; a one-off. I find it amusing when they talk about signing “the new Puyol”. They can look all they want, but they’ll never find it.

Thanks for everything, Puyi.

Puyol’s departure makes waves on the internet

In addition to the outpouring of support from current team-mates and Club directors, Puyol has also received plaudits from the media, fans and former managers and players. The following is a selection of some of the more noteworthy pieces written about the center back:

• Sid Lowe’s Peerless Puyol departs Barça on his own terms
• Guillem Balague’s Talismanic Carles Puyol Was the Heart and Soul of Barcelona’s Golden Era
• Fancesc Tomás’ An open letter to Carles Puyol
• Johan Cryuff’s video message to Puyol 
• r/Barça’s Puyol Homage Thread
• Robert Curtis and totalBarça staff’s The view from our seat: Carles Puyol

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Touré is coming back to play at the Camp Nou on Wednesday. Here are the last ex-players who came back to play as rivals

The Ivory Coast star is back in Barcelona three and a half seasons after he left the Club

Ronaldinho, Eto’o, Ibrahimovic, and Villa are some of the latest most charismatic former players who came back to the Camp Nou com as rivals

Touré Yayá is coming back to the Camp Nou this Wednesday, three and a half seasons after his last game in a Barça shirt, the Barça v Valladolid game that sealed the League Title in the 2009/10 season. Touré, one of the main Manchester City stars, played three seasons for FC Barcelona (2007-10), and won two League Titles, one Champions League, one Spanish Cup, one World Club Cup, one European Supercup, and one Spanish Supercup.

Touré Yaya’s visit to the Camp Nou is just another return of a charismatic former Barça player. In 2009, 5 years ago, Samuel Eto’o returned, just a few months after winning the Champions League in Rome. He did it wearing an Inter Milan shirt, and was giving a great reception from the Barça crowd.

A year later, in the Joan Gamper Trophy match, it was Ronaldinho who came to the Camp Nou as a rival. The Brazilian,  then with AC Milan, was also given a great reception by the Barça fans.

In 2012 it was the return of Zlatan Ibrahimovic. The Swedish player, a Barça player for one season, came back to the Camp Nou for the return leg of the Champions League quarter-final of the 2012/13 season, as an AC Milan player. On that day Maxi López  also played the final minutes of the game.

A similar case was that of Bojan Krkic, who also came back to the Camp Nou as a player on loan to AC Milan. It was on the 12th of March 2013, when FC Barcelona turned around the result of the first leg of the Champions league last 16, with an unforgettable 4-0 scoreline. Bojan played the last 15 minutes of that match.

The last charismatic former Barça player to come back to the Camp Nou was David Villa. Villa, now at Atlético  Madrid, came back to the stadium for the return leg of the Spanish Supercup. Just like all the others, he left Barcelona having been unable to beat his former team.

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Sergio Agüero has scored four goals in the 11 games he has played against FC Barcelona

It is three years since the Argentinian last played Barça

FC Barcelona have won 7 of the 11 games in which he has featured

The eleven games

2006/07
FCB 1-1 ATM (LEAGUE)
ATM 0-6 FCB (LEAGUE)

2007/08FCB 3-0 ATM (LEAGUE)
ATM 4-2 FCB (LEAGUE)

2008/09FCB 6-1 ATM (LEAGUE)
FCB 2-1 ATM (CUP)
ATM 4-3 FCB (LEAGUE)

2009/10FCB 5-2 ATM (LEAGUE)
ATM 2-1 FCB (LEAGUE)

2010/11ATM 1-2 FCB (LEAGUE)
FCB 3-0 ATM (LEAGUE)

Sergio Agüero is no stranger to playing FC Barcelona. Although he missed the Champions League game at the Etihad Stadium through injury, the City striker played eleven league and cup games, and started nine, against the Catalans while he was at Atlético Madrid. Three years later, and Wednesday brings him another chance to test himself against the best team in the world.

Positive balance for Barça

In those eleven games, Agüero was only on the winning side on three occasions. The other games saw Barça beat Atlético seven times, and there was one draw, with an overall goal record of 34 for Barça and 16 for Atlético. Agüero scored exactly a quarter of his team’s goals (4), all in the league.

The Argentinian played a particularly decisive role in two of those games. In 2006/07, he scored his side’s only goal in a game that ended all square. And in 2008/09, his second goal of the night was the one that sealed a famous 4-3 win for the mattress-makers with just three minutes left to play. Agüero’s other goal came in Atlético’s best result against FCB with him in the side, a 4-2 win in the 2007/08 season, his goal, the fourth, coming when the three points were already as good as secured.

Camp Nou, hostile territory

Agüero has played six games at the Camp Nou and not won once. The best he managed with Atlético was a 1-1 draw in 2006/07, the night of what, until now, is the only goal he has ever scored in the FC Barcelona stadium.

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When and where to watch the Champions League match between FC Barcelona and @MCFC

Don’t know where to watch Wednesday’s big game? We have you covered!

Wednesday night’s game at the Camp Nou is one of the biggest games of the season, and here’s a guide to TV channels showing the game around the world. If the game isn’t being shown in your country or region, remember that you can listen to live commentary in English on Radio Barça and the international web sites.

In the United Kingdom, the game gets under way at 7.45 PM GMT, but viewers in the Americas will be watching it in the middle of the afternoon, while fans in Asia and Oceania will either be staying up very late on Tuesday, or getting up very early on Wednesday. But it’s worth making sacrifices for a game as good as this one.

If the game isn’t being shown in your country or region, remember that you can listen to live commentary in English on Radio Barça, and there will be constant updates here at www.fcbarcelona.com, on Twitter (@fcbarcelona) and on all of the club’s usual social networks.

To help you find the game, here’s a list of kick off times in different countries and the channels that are showing the match.

Brazil – 4:45 PM (Brasilia)
ESPN Brazil, ESPN Brazil (SKY), ESPN Latin America
FC Barcelona: @fcbarcelona_br and www.fcbarcelona.pt

South America – Buenos Aires 4:45 PM / Santiago Chile 3:45 PM / México D.F. 1:45 PM
ESPN Latin America – Caracol Colombia, ESPN Latin America – Mega Chile, Fox Sports Latin America, Ratensa Nicaragua, Paravision Paraguay, Repretel Costa Rica, Meridiano TV
FC Barcelona: @fcbarcelona_es and www.fcbarcelona.es

China – 3:45 AM (Thursday morning) (CST)
CCTV Sports China, QQ China, Sina.com, Elta TV Taiwan
FC Barcelona: Tencent Weibo and www.fcbarcelona.cn

France – 8:45 PM (CET)
beIN Sports France
FC Barcelona: @fcbarcelona_fra and www.fcbarcelona.fr

India – 1:15 AM (Thursday morning) (IST)
TEN Sports LIVE

Indonesia – 02:45 AM (Thursday morning) (WIB)
SCTV
FC Barcelona: @fcbarcelona_id and www.fcbarcelona.co.id

Japan – 04:45 AM (Thursday morning) (JST)
Sky Perfect Japan
FC Barcelona: @fcbarcelona_jap and www.fcbarcelona.jp

Russia – 11:45 PM (MSK)
NTV Russia

Spain – 08:45 PM (CET)
Canal+
FC Barcelona:  @fcbarcelona_cat and @fcbarcelona_es

UAE – 11:45 PM (GST)
BeIN Sports
FC Barcelona: @fcbarcelona_ara and www.fcbarab.com

USA – 2:45 PM (EST)
Fox Sports

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Andrés Iniesta reveals the secrets of Nike's new #Magista boots

“Magista boots are like wearing gloves on your feet and you play more accurately”, said the FC Barcelona midfielder at the city’s new DHUB centre

Nike has launched its most innovative football boot design yet, Magista, at a presentation held in the new Disseny Hub Barcelona centre and attended by FC Barcelona star Andrés Iniesta.

The midfielder revealed the secrets of the new boots, which he says are “very innovative and totally fit around the foot” thanks to a technology called Flyknit. “The shape of the boot is totally different and makes your ankle much more comfortable” he added. The most remarkable outer feature is the extended collar that enables a much closer fit around the player’s foot. “The Magista’s mid-cut Dynamic Fit collar is not just a visually compelling innovation, it’s designed to create heightened feel for the ball and enhance the player’s touch”, says Phil McCartney, vice-president of Sport Performance Footwear.

An extension of the player

Born from four years of R&D in the Nike Sport Research Lab and with feedback from some of the world’s best attacking playmakers, including Barcelona’s Andrés Iniesta and German forward Mario Gotze, the Magista boot is finally a reality. “We’ve designed a shoe that feels like an extension of the player’s body. This isn’t a boot that just goes on your foot, it’s a boot that works with your foot”, said McCartney.

Eliminating distractions

Meanwhile, Denis Dekovic, Nike Footwear Design Director, explained that “Magista boots eliminate distractions. When Iniesta is on the pitch his movements are dynamic and he needs to think about who he has to pass the ball to. His boots shouldn’t distract him from that”.

Andrés Iniesta hopes that his new Magista boots will “help to achieve everything … both for my club and for the national team. Let’s hope I can celebrate a lot of conquests with these boots. And with the Champions League, Liga, Spanish Cup and the World Cup in Brazil all on the horizon, there are plenty of chances for Iniesta to get some conquering done in the near future.”

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Centre back @MarcBartra91 has spoken of his sadness that @Carles5Puyol is soon to leave FC Barcelona

The centre back is sorry that Puyol is leaving after he has learned so much from his team-mate and captain

He announced that he is signing a new contract that will keep him at FC Barcelona until 2017

Marc Bartra is the latest of many players to pay tribute to Carles Puyol, who announced on Tuesday that he’s leaving FC Barcelona at the end of the season. “It’s sad news for us all” he said at a press conference on Thursday. “For the team because we’ve lost our leader, he’s a captain from head to toes. And personally because he gave me so much advice and helped me progress in the game.”[[CITA_1]]But he likes to see the positive side of things, commenting that “we haven’t taken in the idea that he won’t be with us next season. But there are still three months left and we have to be optimistic and learn as much as we can from him in that time”.

Bartra says that Puyol has played a key role in his own growth as a player. “He helps me a lot on the field” he said. “After every move he gives me advice and after every game and every training session too. He has done a primordial job not just for me, but the whole team”.

Asked whether Puyol’s departure might open up more chances for himself as a centre back, Bartra spoke prudently. “I’d rather think about that at the end of the season” he insisted. “We still have four centre backs at the moment. If somebody new comes, I’ll learn from him, while I have to keep proving that I can play at centre back here.” Bartra explained how he knows that at Barça the demands are very different than they might be in other places.[[CITA_2]]Asked about the time he is getting this season, he said that “I am very aware of my position, that this is FC Barcelona and hardly anybody can say they have an undisputed place in the first eleven. I have gone through everything this season. There were times when I hardly played at all and others when I played loads of games in a row … The manager has played it so that none of the 20 players in the squad ever know if we’ll be playing or watching from the stands. He’s dealt with things very well and every week you are left guessing as to whether you’ll get to start”.

Bartra also revealed that he’ll be a signing a new contract with the club next week. On January 15 it was already announced that it had been agreed that he will be staying on until at least June 30, 2017.

There are still three months left and we have to learn as much as we can from him in that time

If a new centre back comes, I’ll learn from him, while I have to keep proving that I can play at centre back here

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Other than Alves and Neymar, who are not due back until Friday, all of the internationals joined training today

Today’s training session included all but two of the players that played international matches on Wednesday

Alves and Neymar are not due back until Friday morning’s training session

After training all week with just a handful of players, with most of the squad away playing international friendlies on Wednesday, things were almost back to normal for Thursday evening’s session. Spanish internationals Valdés, Alba, Busquets, Xavi, Iniesta, Cesc and Pedro were all back, as were ArgentiniansMascherano and Messi, Chilean Alexis Sánchez and Cameroonian Song, who worked out in isolation. All of the internationals focused on recovery exercises.

Brazilians Alves and Neymar are not due back until Friday’s morning session at 11.00 AM CET in the Ciutat Esportiva.

The first team were joined today by Barça B’s Denis Suárez, Patric and Bañuz, while Pinto and Piquécontinued doing their own specific recovery work. Dos Santos and Cuenca, who have more long-term injuries, continued with their treatment programmes.

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Gerardo Martino has said that “it's been a short week, but there can be no excuses against Valladolid”

There hasn’t been much time to prepare for the game against a Valladolid side that the FC Barcelona manager knows are strong at home

He described Puyol as ‘irreplaceable’ but admits that his team is going to need to find a new centre back

In his Friday lunchtime press conference, Barça manager Gerardo Martino admitted that he always feels worried before a match, whatever the circumstances. And Saturday’s trip to Valladolid is clearly no exception. “I’m worried because of who the opposition are” he confessed. “They are struggling against relegation and have only won four home games, but then again, they have only lost two. They’re strong at home”.

Alba’s absence

He is also troubled by the fact that “it has been a very short week. Most of the players didn’t get back until Thursday and some not until Friday. We have only been able to speak on the day before the game, but those are no more than excuses. We have to focus, play well and win.”

He was asked why he has left Jordi Alba out of the squad, and in response explained that “Alba was feeling a bit of pain before the Almeria game. I didn’t think he looked ready and left him on the bench. But he played 90 very good minutes for Spain. However, we have four games ahead of us in just two weeks and I don’t want to overwork him. That would be a bit imprudent”.[[CITA_1]]He was also asked about Alves and Neymar, who only got back on Friday after a long trip to South Africa with the Brazilian national team. “Alves played 33 minutes and Neymar the full 90” said Martino. “I wanted to speak to them and find how what condition they have come back in.”

Replacing the irreplaceable

Martino also spoke about Carles Puyol’s announcement that he is leaving FC Barcelona at the end of the season, saying that “he is the kind of player a club very rarely comes across. Footballers like these are irreplaceable, although I am probably the least qualified person to be able to speak about him,” referring to the short time that he and the player have known each other. The manager did admit, however, that “the club now needs to go out and look for a new centre back”.[[CITA_2]]Another issue he was quizzed on was Leo Messi’s vomiting in some recent games, to which the coach responded that “it’s not a normal situation, but there’s no cause for alarm. He’s been seeing specialists although no solution has been found yet.” In whatever case, Martino doesn’t think the circumstances are likely to have any effect on Messi’s ability to perform at his best.

Most of the players didn’t get back until Thursday and some not until Friday

We have four games ahead of us in just two weeks and I don’t want to overwork Jordi Alba

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Messi: Barcelona will miss Puyol

The Argentine praised the Blaugrana captain as a "fabulous person" and wished him good luck as he prepares for the next chapter in his career at the end of the season Lionel Messi has highlighted the effect Carles Puyol has had on Barcelona as the long-time skipper's career with the Spanish club comes closer to an end. The Blaugrana captain announced on Tuesday that he will depart Camp Nou in the summer after spending 15 years in the first team of the Catalan giants.  Messi pledged his support to the 35-year-old centre-back as he believes he will have thought long and hard about the decision to leave and insisted he will be missed by everyone connected to the club. "It’s a decision that he’s probably thought a lot about, because it’s not easy to make," Messi told television show Mundo Leo. "If he’s said it, it’s because he’s totally convinced and sure about it. He'll be sorely missed, both inside and outside the dressing room. Messi went on to wish the Spain international luck on his future endeavours as he plays out the remainder of his final season with Barca. He continued: "We wish him the very best in whatever he wants to do. Whether he goes to play somewhere else or wants to do something different, I hope it goes really well. He deserves it, he’s a fabulous person."

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Iniesta: We can beat Madrid at Bernabeu

Andres Iniesta believes Barcelona can "obviously" beat Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabeu in the upcoming Clasico on March 23. The Catalans sit one point shy of the Blancos with two more La Liga games before they clash, meaning Carlo Ancelotti's men could move four points clear if results beforehand are matched, or Gerardo Martino's charges could leapfrog their rivals. Iniesta has no doubt that a victory in the capital can be achieved and, ahead of a clash with Valladolid on Saturday, thinks that La Liga, the Copa del Rey and the Champions League are well within their reach this season. "Obviously we can win," Iniesta said at a promotional event. "We have already done so in the past. "But we have two La Liga games beforehand and we cannot forget them. If we want to compete until the end of the season, we have to beat Madrid. "Expectations are high in all three competitions. We have plenty of options in the squad, and the desire and enthusiasm to get titles is high." Iniesta, who scored the winning goal in the World Cup four years ago, played a part in Spain's 1-0 friendly victory over Italy on Wednesday and hopes la Roja can be victorious once again in Brazil. "It leaves a good feeling for the World Cup," he added. "We are confident that we can do something important. "Winning the World Cup is amazing and scoring a goal in the World Cup is a unique feeling."

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Messi not thrown by throwing up again

It was the seventh minute of the game at the National Arena in Bucharest when Leo Messi stopped in his tracks, doubled over and began to vomit. "Here we go again", he must have thought, as it wasn't the first time he'd experienced the problem. It was a gruesome image, but the Argentina star seemed relatively unruffled afterwards. "It's no big deal; it's happened to me before", he stated. "Sometimes I accelerate very fast and the change in air intake that involves causes me to heave. I felt completely fine at the end of the match", the forward added. The Argentina national team's medical staff were equally nonplussed, arguing that what happened to Messi is very common in sport, particularly affecting tennis players. As the Sabadell team doctor spelled out, there are several potential explanations for players vomiting: "One cause can be physical and/or mental strain. The change in time zones - jet lag - and changes in diet also take a toll. Sometimes when people change their eating habits, it can trigger intolerance, leading to nausea and vomiting", Dr Ramírez explained. Another possible cause is any number of diseases in the digestive system: "For instance, inflammation or irritation of the stomach lining or mucosa (gastritis or a gastric ulcer)". Whatever the case may be, Leo Messi appears to have plenty of stomach left for the fight.

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