He had to do better! Messi gets on the end of a free-kick and heads towards goal from in close, but his effort actually strikes off his own arm, completely taking the sting out of the header as Caballero makes a simple save! Two minutes left and Barcelona need two goals - this might be over already!
90'
There will be three minutes added on at the end of this match.
89'
Nolito enters the game and replaces K. De Bruyne.
Final change here for City as De Bruyne is replaced by Nolito. The Belgian goes off to a standing ovation from these home supporters, running close to 45 seconds off the clock as he takes his sweet time getting off the pitch.
86'
Barcelona digging deep here, but City seem to have more left in the tank. It's all a bit pedestrian at the moment from Barcelona, as they struggle to find an answer for City's energetic press. The hosts are giving everything they have to see this one out.
84'
STAT: Pep Guardiola is facing Barcelona as manager for the second season of his career; as Bayern Munich boss, he was knocked out by the Catalan side in the semi-finals of the 2014/15 Champions League (3-5 on aggregate).
82'
Messi's free-kick deflects behind off the wall and controversy is averted. City would have been sent into a furious protest had that resulted in Barcelona's second goal.
81'
Frustration setting in here for Barcelona, as they struggle to create anything. City are doing very well to interrupt their rhythm in possession with some very determined pressing, but Otamendi concedes a free-kick as he collides with Suarez in the air. The Uruguayan striker knew exactly what he was doing there and should arguably have been the one penalised for that coming together.
79'
All the hard work has paid off for City and no one can deny they are fully deserving of this lead. They have been outstanding tonight and the mental fortitude they showed after being denied an early penalty then falling 1-0 down is truly something else. This is a real sign of their character.
76'
Rafinha enters the game and replaces André Gomes.
Rafinha replaces Andre Gomes for the final 13 minutes.
Minute
Description
74'
İ. Gündoğan has scored a goal for Manchester City! Assist by S. Agüero.
Sergio Busquets gets yellow.
Appeals for handball there after Aguero failed to turn the initial ball in from Navas, but that would have been very harsh. Instead, he picks up the assist.
AND THAT COULD DO IT! City have their third at last, and it has been coming! Superb counter-attacking play. Aguero dispossesses Messi atop the area before springing De Bruyne. He returns a pass for the Argentine, who sprays it out wide for Navas. The Spaniard's cross isn't turned it, but it falls so kindly for Gundogan who finishes easily from eight yards with Ter Stegen stranded!
Busquets becomes the latest player to go into the referee's book.
73'
STAT: Manchester City are unbeaten in their last six Champions League home games (W4 D2). They’ve never gone seven consecutive games without a defeat at the Etihad in the competition.
71'
Jesús Navas enters the game and replaces R. Sterling.
Second change for City as an understandably fatigued Sterling is replaced by Jesus Navas.
70'
Well you can hardly keep up with all these chances. It's a mystery how we have not had a goal in the last 10 minutes. Both teams, but City especially, are looking very dangerous on the break, at it remains finely poised for the last 20 minutes or so.
68'
OFFSIDE! Sterling didn't see the run of Zabaleta to the back of him there! De Bruyne produces an excellent ball to try and play the full-back through, but Sterling takes it for himself and the offside flag is raised as a result.
66'
THE CHANCES KEEP COMING! City respond straight away with a terrific break of their own, as the game becomes wonderfully stretched. Silva finds De Bruyne, who plays Sterling through. The wigner pulls it back for the Belgian, but he rolls a first-time finish just wide of the far post with Ter Stegen rooted to his spot!
65'
BARCELONA SO UNLUCKY! End-to-end stuff here at the Etihad! The visitors break with pace and it's Suarez who beats his man before picking out Gomes in acres of space, but the midfielder's effort rattles off the underside of the bar and stays out, somehow!
63'
ANOTHER OPPORTUNITY MISSED! Sumptuous play yet again from the hosts! Silva surges forward and sprays wide for Kolarov, who whips a terrific ball in for De Bruyne, but the Belgian just can't get the touch needed to turn it in from close range!
61'
A. Turan enters the game and replaces I. Rakitić.
Luis Enrique responds with a change of his own as Arda Turan comes on for Rakitic.
60'
Fernando enters the game and replaces Fernandinho.
A. Kolarov gets yellow.
Harsh decision here from the referee to book Kolarov for a really harmless foul on Rakitic, who went down rather theatrically there. Not much in it, but the referee decides to take action.
We've hit the hour mark and City make their first chance, with Fernando replacing Fernandinho.
57'
AGUERO WIDE! City continue to knock at the door, with a third goal looking likely at one point or another. This time it's a free-kick in from the left that Aguero meets, but he heads inches wide of the near post!
55'
PENALTY APPEALS DENIED! Sterling on the left this time, and he find a nice pocket of space before curling in a splendid cross. Aguero attacks it but goes to ground, claiming he was pulled back by Mascherano. It was iffy at best, but Otamendi was offside anyhow.
53'
STAT: Barcelona have won their last three away Champions League games against English clubs, two of which were against Manchester City.
51'
K. De Bruyne has scored a goal for Manchester City!
DE BRUYNE WITH A STUNNER! Sensational movement behind that free-kick from the Belgian who gives City their first lead of the night! Outstanding hit from him, but Ter Stegen will be kicking himself. It was far from unstoppable.
50'
That's just careless play from Busquets, who bulldozes into the back of Silva, conceding a free-kick 25 yards out, in line with the near post. This is a real opportunity for City, who have started this second half excellently.
48'
HOW HAS HE NOT SCORED?! Sterling is played through on goal, but his first touch is shockingly poor! It closes down the angle for him and his eventual strike crashes into the side netting! He though he was in there, and he should have been!
46'
Perfectly poised for this second half which is now underway!
45'
The mood has completely changed inside the Etihad! City full of life, as are their supporters, as they search for a go-ahead goal before the break - but they won't get one as the referee blows for half-time right at 45 minutes.
43'
STAT: Barcelona have won all five of their previous encounters with Manchester City; conceding only twice.
41'
NEARLY A SECOND! Barcelona caught out again at the back as City break in numbers. Silva pulls it back for Fernandinho in the area, but he drags his first-time strike inches wide of the far post! Aguero read that the whole way and came so very close to getting a touch on that shot to turn it in!
39'
İ. Gündoğan has scored a goal for Manchester City! Assist by R. Sterling.
CITY BACK ON LEVEL TERMS! The build-up is a work of art! Aguero plays Sterling through on the right, and he picks out an absolutely delightful low cross to serve it up on a platter for Gundogan at the far post, after a real intelligent run from the German midfielder!
Sterling has been excellent in this first half and he's rewarded with an assist.
37'
TURNED ASIDE AGAIN! Barcelona really turning on the style here. Another delightful bit of interplay sees them through into the area, but Stones comes up big again, this time with a block on Suarez! Barcelona are almost unplayable when they're in this sort of mood.
35'
SO CLOSE! Stones with a vital block on Gomes from close range following a free-kick. Pressure stays on and a ball over the top for Messi is headed back across for Suarez at the far post, but it seems to catch him by surprise as he fails to direct an effort on target!
34'
TOO HEAVY A TOUCH! Outstanding play from Andre Gomes! He amazes with his dribbling, embarrassing Otamendi in the build-up as the centre-half slips and falls in an attempt to keep him out. The ball is eventually pulled back for Neymar, but his touch is too heavy as he tries to switch onto his right!
32'
Disappointing delivery from De Bruyne! He bends an effort that winds up having far too much pace on it, as it sails out of play without anyone being able to properly attack it.
31'
City win a free-kick in a threatening area as Suarez is penalised for going through the back of Fernandinho to try and win the ball back. De Bruyne stands over it as bodies cram the penalty area like sardines.
29'
Neymar gets yellow.
Neymar kicks out at Sterling, accidentally albeit, in an attempt to win the ball back after being caught in possession, and he's issued a yellow card as a result.
27'
DECENT EFFORT! Barcelona are back to enjoying the bulk of possession, showing good patience in their build-up play. They wait for City to stretch themselves before breaking with real pace, which Neymar does on their latest foray, but he sees an effort deflected into the side-netting.
25'
STAT: Manchester City suffered their heaviest-ever Champions League defeat conceding four goals for the first time when these sides met in the reverse fixture.
23'
That's a really tough one for City to concede. They were so good through 20 minutes and remained in the ascendency, but Barca hardly need an invitation. They get one look on the break and they make it count. For Neymar, he now has six assists already in this year’s competition, four more than any other player.
21'
L. Messi has scored a goal for Barcelona! Assist by Neymar.
VINTAGE BARCA! THEY LEAD AT THE ETIHAD! It comes completely against the run of play! Aguero has a shot blocked by Mascherano at one end, before Messi picks up possession and kick-starts Neymar forward. The Brazilian runs half the length of the pitch before sending a return pass to Messi, who shifts onto his left and finishes wonderfully at the near post!
Neymar is credited with the assist.
20'
I. Rakitić gets yellow.
Successive fouls in the span of a minute see Rakitic into the book. His slide into Gundogan is the one which sees him into the book.
19'
It's still early, but Barcelona's inability to create much shouldn't come as much of a surprise, perhaps. These sides have met a ton in recent years and Pep Guardiola is very familiar with them as well. Add in the fact that Iniesta is out with injury, and you can see why City appear so comfortable in defence right now.
17'
City have not let the decision get them down, however. They continue to look very bright in defence, biding their time between counters. Sterling spearheads another break, making strides down the right, but he just can't pick out Aguero's run in the centre as Ter Stegen collects.
15'
STAT: There have been five red cards shown across the five previous meetings between these sides; four of which being awarded to City players, only one of the five encounters has gone without seeing a red brandished.
13'
Drama indeed here. The replays confirm initial doubts surrounding the referee's decision. There was clear contact, inside the area, and the referee has simply missed it. The thing is, there's absolutely no reason for Sterling to go down there. He had his man beat and a clear sight of goal had he not been tripped.
11'
R. Sterling gets yellow.
STERLING INTO THE BOOK! Early controversy at the Etihad! Aguero glides forward on the counter and does very well to pick out Sterling in the centre. The winger cuts onto his right and has Umtiti beaten, before being tripped to ground by the centre-half. The referee takes immediate action, but he shows Sterling a yellow for simulation! That's a very, very harsh decision and a real let-off for Barcelona!
9'
A minute later and Digne commits another foul, again on Sterling, though there was much less intent in this one. Still, he's walking a very fine line. Fernandinho responds with a hard slide into the front of Rakitic, sending him toppling over. There's certainly no love lost between these two teams.
7'
Digne is very lucky to escape without a booking as he drags Sterling down from behind to prevent a dangerous break for the hosts, following an errant pass to gift them possession. He gets a long talking to from the referee, but may have bought himself a lifeline by apologising immediately after the fact. Remorse buys sympathy, in this case.
5'
City respond well to the early surge from the hosts and manage to produce some tidy build-up play of their own, though they can't carve out a chance at the end of it and Barcelona push forward again. The hosts are remaining well-organised in defence, however, as they continue to deal with the threat against them.
3'
Barcelona on the front foot straight away, controlling the tempo and dominating possession like they so often do. Some clever passing in the final third causes a bit of panic in the City defence, but Suarez in unable to pick out a good final ball for Rakitic after being played through on the right by Messi.
1'
AND WE'RE OFF! City, in their light-blue home strip, get us underway attacking left to right, with Barcelona in black and pink.
Hello and welcome to live coverage from the Etihad as Manchester City look for revenge when they host a Barcelona side aiming to book their place in the next round in this tantalising Group C fixture!
Lionel Messi scored a hat-trick, Neymar added insult to injury and Claudio Bravo was sent off for City as Barcelona cruised to a 4-0 rout at Camp Nou in the reverse fixture a few weeks back.
Pep Guardiola will be hoping he's learned from his mistakes as he aims to extract revenge on his former club tonight, and storylines aside, this is hardly one they can afford to lose as far as they knockout hopes are concerned.
Should the matchday three results repeat themselves tonight, City would fall to third in the group, two points behind Gladbach with a trip to Borussia-Park looming at the end of the month.
For Barcelona the process is much simpler. A draw tonight is enough to send them through to the next round, while a victory secures their place atop the group with two games to spare.
City got back to their winning ways on the weekend against West Brom, a rather important three points for them given the fragile nature of their confidence following a six-match winless run.
CONFIRMED TEAM NEWS:
MANCHESTER CITY (4-5-1): Caballero; Zabaleta, Otamendi, Stones, Kolarov; Sterling, De Bruyne, Fernandinho, Gundogan, Silva; Aguero.
BARCELONA (4-3-3): Ter Stegen; Roberto, Mascherano, Umtiti, Digne; Rakitic, Busquets, Gomes; Messi, Neymar, L. Suarez.
SUBS: D. Suarez, Turan, Rafinha, Cillessen, Alcacer, Nili, Marlon.
After being controversially left out of the starting XI in the reverse fixture, Sergio Aguero is back leading the line tonight for City, replacing Nolito, where he will be flanked by Raheem Sterling and David Silva as one of just two changes made by Pep Guardiola. The other sees Willy Caballero replace suspended goalkeeper Claudio Bravo.
City are lining up in a 4-5-1 tonight, with Kevin de Bruyne dropping a bit deeper alongside Ilkay Gundogan and Fernandinho in the pivot role, lying behind the both of them. Time will tell if the Belgian moves higher up the pitch to turn it back into their usually preferred 4-2-3-1.
Injuries have hit Barcelona hard, particularly in defence. Jordi Alba failed to recover from his knock, joining Gerard Pique (also injured) and Jeremy Mathieu (suspended) on the list of absentees. Sergi Roberto and Lucas Digne come into defence as a result, with Javier Mascherano and Samuel Umtiti the only available centre-backs with first-team experience.
There were a number of player pushing to replace the injured Andres Iniesta, but it's Andre Gomes who wins that contest, as the Portuguese lines up alongside Ivan Rakitic and Sergio Busquets tonight, with the front three of Luis Suarez, Lionel Messi and Neymar still in-tact.
HALF-TIME: MANCHESTER CITY 1-1 BARCELONA. A wonderfully entertaining first half comes to an end at the Etihad with the score level.
Lionel Messi put Barcelona ahead against the run of play, but it kick-started a dominant period from the visitors who twice came close to doubling their lead. It was looking ominous for City until Ilkay Gundogan got on the end of a Raheem Sterling cross to restore parity, and it sparked a late surge from City to give them the momentum heading into the break.
Lionel Messi drew first blood for the Blaugrana, but Ilkay Gundogan struck twice, with Kevin de Bruyne also on the mark, as Pep Guardiola's side complete the turnaround for a famous win.
That's all for our live coverage from the Etihad, thanks for following along. Goodbye!
Commentary
More…