Manchester City will face
Barcelona in the last 16 of the European Champions League in what promises to be
one of the most eagerly awaited contests in this year's competition.
Now it will face a Barcelona side
which has won the tournament on four occasions -- but director of football Txixi
Beguiristain says City will not fear his former club.
"I think it will be a great
match," he told City's official website.
Ours is a team with a lot of confidence especially after winning against the
champions in Munich -- that will give us a lot of confidence. Not just at home
but away as well.
"We have to be confident because
of the way we are playing. We are showing that we can score in all matches. This
is important in the Champions League.
"We scored in Plzen, in Moscow,
in Munich -- it should give us confidence to play against a team who have been
champions many times.
"Our manager knows Barcelona
perfectly because he managed in Spain for a long time. In this sense, we are
confident.
"I think the text messages will
be flying between Manchester and Barcelona now between Sergio and Lionel! If you
want to win the Champions League you have to beat the biggest teams, Barcelona
are one of the biggest teams."
City has spent the past few
years modeling itself on Barcelona -- now it is aiming to supplant it in
Europe's top club competition.
Under the management of Manuel
Pellegrini, the former Villarreal and Real Madrid coach, City has progressed to
the last 16 of the competition for the very first time.
Backed by the riches of Sheikh
Mansour, the deputy prime minister of the United Arab Emirates, City has used
its financial muscle to lure those who enjoyed great success at Barcelona.
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