Former Manchester City and Barcelona defender Sylvinho has expressed his belief that the Blaugrana have the edge in their Champions League tie.
Premier League champions City host the Spanish side at the Etihad Stadium this evening in the first leg of their last-16 clash.
The teams meet in the competition for the second year in succession, and Sylvinho is confident that Manuel Pellegrini's side will have learned lessons from last season's 4-1 aggregate defeat.
"This City is better than last season's City," the 40-year-old told Goal.com.
"The Champions League is different to the Premier League and the local leagues. Last year City did well, but this year they are in better shape and in the future they will be even better off. I am sure they will have learned from last year's experience.
"I didn't want Barcelona and City to play each other because I wanted them both to go far in the competition. It's an open tie, a very difficult one for both teams. City can cause problems for Barca, but I still think that over two legs, with the return at Camp Nou, Barca have the slight edge overall."
The second leg will take place at the Camp Nou on March 18.
Steven Toplis
