Good evening and welcome to LIVE text coverage of one of the matches of the season so far, as Manchester City host Barcelona in the first leg of a mouthwatering Champions League last-16 tie at the Etihad. Kick off 7.45pm GMT.

Great challenge! Martin Demichelis gets across to block a goalbound effort from Messi after some silky skills from Neymar bewitched Zabaleta on the right.

Is it time for Pellegrini's luck to change v Barca?

Milner hits it low... straight into the wall. Disappointing effort from the midfielder.

Free kick to City as Mascherano trips Aguero 25 yards from goal. Chance for the home side here...

Milner clips a pass towards Dzeko that Pique can't handle, but the defender recovers to block the Bosnian's attempted strike from the edge of the box.

Manchester City have reached the knockout stages of the Champions League for the second season running. They have never made it past the last 16 though.

EVEN BETTER STAT! Barcelona have dominated possession in each of their last 92 Champions League games. The last time they had the ball less than their opponent was in December 2006 against Werder Bremen (43%).... And in the fledgling moments of this one they have already settled, stroking it around with typical Catalan arrogance.

STAT: Barcelona have completed 90% of their passes, the highest ratio in the Champions League this season.

A long ball over the top almost sets Messi free but Kompany gets across to concede an early corner that City comfortably clear.

How much will City miss this fella tonight? Much is made of how they struggle in his absence, but worth remembering they beat Bayern and Roma without him.

KICK OFF! Messi and Suarez get the game underway for Barca, who are wearing all yellow.

Barca defender, Gerard Pique on the danger posed by tonight's hosts: "City are a team that is more attack-minded and that will help us as it will be a more open game. We need to put (Malaga) behind us because now we face the most important game of the year."

In tonight's other CL encounter, Juventus host Borussia Dortmund in a repeat of the 1997 final.

Luis Enrique: "We have the best positional attacking team in the world, without any doubt. We are used to playing against teams who put 10 men behind the ball. There are some games like this that are difficult for us and we are less effective. But that doesn't mean that these teams succeed in stopping us from doing what we try to. Nobody in the world has as many resources as Barca to break through defences."

VIDEO: City v Barca in numbers.

Manuel Pellegrini: "I think that last year was different to this year. We arrived at this stage of the Champions League after playing 19 games in two months, and I don't think it was our best moment. But I hope this year we will do it after not playing so many games. I think that our team is in a good moment, although we also recognise we are going to be playing against a very strong team..."

Who is in and who is out in Eurosport's combined Manchester City/Barcelona XI?

Man City adopt a bold, attacking 4-4-2 system with Edin Dzeko partnering Sergio Aguero up top. January signing, Wilfried Bony is on the bench while ex-Barcelona midfielder Yaya Toure is out as he completes a three-match ban. Barcelona include the mercurial trio of Lionel Messi, Neymar and Luis Suarez in their line-up. The latter makes his first appearance in England since leaving Liverpool last summer.

Frank Lampard, Manchester City, on Barcelona's mystique: "You can admire and respect them so long as that doesn't transmit into giving them too much space to do what they do best. I played against Barcelona when they were at their very best four or five years ago and they were absolutely flying -- in truth, there's not much you can do when they play like that -- but we have players who can hurt them, too."

Some nice features on the site in the lead up to this one, including this lowdown on two superstar Argentines going head-to-head in the goal stakes.

It appears a future calling with British Rail awaits Zabaleta when he hangs up his boots...