two teams who you would think would be involved come the business end of the competition
but they lock horns tonight in the group stage
it's barcelona they face manchester city and it's live right here on ea tv
hello wherever you happen to be welcome to cataronia welcome to barcelona
my name is derek ray and my commentary partner on this occasion is stuart robson and this
should be a fascinating confrontation from the group stage of the uefa champions league
it's barcelona facing manchester city well barcelona played some really good football
in their opening game some of their attacking play was excellent let's hope we see that again today
well this is what we think for barcelona mark and greater stegen stands between the posts
usman dembele starts with memphis out wide
and they line up with just the one striker looking to do a bit of damage
and a look at the starting 11 for manchester city edison between the posts joel casello starts with
kyle walker as fullbacks yukai gundu on place alongside kevin de bruyne
in the center of the park and on this tactical setup they have just the one player in attack
do
and this champions league group stage contest
commences an effective ball
throw-ins given
jordi alba
jody alba plenty of players waiting in the middle shown inside
dembele superblock
so glancing at the table and i must say when the teams came out of the various
ports for the champions league draw this was the one that stood out straight away
what a riveting game this promises to be well you're absolutely right derek
this should be a great game i'd expect both these teams to go deep into the competition
this is the champions league at its best let's hope we're not disappointed possession one
pretty good reading of the game to win possession back
well-read to ease the pressure
joel well he swatted him almost effortlessly
and dembele has given it away
joelle
a very timely interception
stones
move it forward with purpose still pushing for the goal that would put them ahead but not forcing it
and help with ease by to stegen
another pass not quite accurate enough and a throw in then
gundogan
now mattis well sadly too straight to worry the goalkeeper that time
the pie survived
now sending it in attending to his defensive chores
can they get in behind them dembele's in the center well no danger now the pie
we saw the situation developing
well there you have it in terms of possession there's not much in it it really has been a hard
fought battle so far one of these teams needs to start taking a risk or two wonderful tackle
untidy in possession
the ball lost here
johnny alba
and back with jordi alba good looking cross a decisive clearance it was
well the first 45 minutes have come and gone here in
catalonia just reflecting on memphis to pie in the first half stewart he wasn't really able
to take the game by the scruff of the neck in the manner that we associate with him well he
struggled to have any real impact on the game i think if they are to kick on in the second half
it's key that he sees a bit more of the ball and hopefully with that he can start to put that back
line under a bit more and the second half of this champions league group stage meeting is underway
pk
sergio busquets
now jordi alba de young
well somehow the goalkeeper got to it well they haven't created too
much lately but the fans know this is a chance to take the lead here
and there's the delivery simple for the keeper
riyad mahrez sterling going well and that's how to do it inside your own penalty area
just a quick reminder we've got champions league group stage action
for you to look forward to here on ea tv it's barcelona facing borussia dortmund
that looks a really entertaining game two good teams with two excellent coaches
and manchester city will go to their bench
playing it in and we couldn't get the header on
the target but you've got to give credit to the defending
so half an hour remaining
just a quick reminder we've got champions league group stage action for you to look
forward to here on ea tv it's manchester city versus milan well the fixtures are coming thick
and fast it should be a good game that hopefully i've not just given it to commentators curse
johnny alba oh the goalkeeper did well to hang on to that one
stones
sterling
fernando silva and now sterling and back with bernardo silva mares
oh and it goes up long last deadlock broken will that be the one that gives them the win
well here's the replay and in many ways it doesn't
do justice to how patient they were in the build-up just so composed waiting
for the right moment and the finish is just as good that's an excellent goal
they've decided that now is the time to go to the bench
well the dramatic moment near the end and that might well be the decider
goodbye for attacking possibilities but they took care of the situation defensively
we're inside the final quarter of an hour now well the counter chance looks very real
well this game is far from over they'll probably get one more big chance before the end
it's got to be late drama here level once more incredible scenes
well let's see this again this is counter-attacking football at its very best
and then the shot could not be here any better struggling such benign great goal
so the ball is running again up
and it's positive from manchester city is it in the cards for them to score a late winner but
really sticking to the task defensively well let's see what they have in store for them on the break
chance what a vital intervention
and the referee has pointed to the sports of a crucial phase in the proceedings
this to give them the advantage and the spot kick is converted as coolly as you like
well here it is again and what a penalty that is
right into that top corner certainly no stopping that
what a big moment in the dying embers will it prove decisive here
defy and blocked for now
if they can score again from this corner it probably would be the end of the story
and over it comes oh great save to keep them in it
well that's a brilliant save and it just gives them that little bit of hope now
trying to deliver it accurately it hasn't come to very much
and that is that very satisfying from the vasa point of view a victory here what did you think
of their overall display well it's two from two and they're in the driving seat now they
just need to take this form into the next couple of games and they'll be in the knockout stages
well he certainly contributed mightily didn't he i'm talking about memphis defy of course
what did you make of what you saw from him well he's the match winner and deservedly so
he was outstanding today he's great to watch when he's in this sort of fall