Two of the biggest clubs in Europe will square off Wednesday in a friendly match to raise money in the fight against amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, as Manchester City visits Barcelona at the Camp Nou. Pep Guardiola and Xavi Hernandez will help raise awareness and funding for research while giving some of their squad players some solid minutes against quality competition.
Although it is a friendly, both clubs have goals they want to achieve through this match, which takes place in-between league fixtures for each side. We break down the angles to help you find value in this meeting in our Barcelona vs. Manchester City picks and predictions for Wednesday, August 24.
Barcelona vs Manchester City match odds
| Barcelona | Manchester City | |
|---|---|---|
| +150 | Moneyline | +145 |
| +250 | Draw | +250 |
| Over 2.5 (-275) | Total | Under 2.5 (+210) |
Odds courtesy of bet365 on August 23, 2022.
Barcelona vs Manchester City betting tips
- Prediction: Barcelona ML (+155)
- Prediction: Barcelona TT Over 1.5 (-125)
- Best bet: Fati to score anytime (+175)
Predictions made on 8/23/2022 at 11:00 a.m. ET.
Click on each prediction to jump to the full analysis.
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Barcelona vs Manchester City game info
• Location: Camp Nou, Barcelona, Spain
• Date: Wednesday, August 24, 2022
• Time: 4:30 p.m. ET
• TV: CITY+
Barcelona vs Manchester City betting preview
Weather
It’s going to be a warm summer evening in Barcelona, with temperatures at kickoff in the mid-80s and plenty of sunshine. There is no rain in the forecast, and winds should not play a factor.
Injuries
Barcelona: None.
Manchester City: Jack Grealish M (Questionable), Nathan Ake D (Out), Aymeric Laporte D (Out).
Barcelona vs Manchester City predictions
Our side and total predictions are based upon our analysis of the line and total in this game. Our best bet is our favorite pick across all markets.
Side analysis
It’s very rare to have an in-season friendly such as this, especially between two big clubs. However, this is a special match and one that I find admirable. Announced in June, the friendly will raise funding and awareness for research towards ALS. Juan Carlos Unzue, a former teammate of Pep Guardiola’s at Barcelona and on the coaching staff while Xavi was a player, was diagnosed with the ailment back in 2020, and the two managers were vital in setting up the event.
Barcelona will want to put on a show for their fans and make it an entertaining event, which is why I expect them to play some solid talent in this outing. Following a 4-1 win that he helped orchestrate off the bench, Ansu Fati is almost certain to get a run-out from the opening whistle. Coming on in a 1-1 match, he set up two goals with assists minutes apart, before scoring the final goal for himself.
The Catalans are likely to rest a lot of their main starters for the match though, but it should open up some spots for new signings. One of those will undoubtedly be Jules Kounde, as it offers him an important chance at building match fitness considering he’s still yet to be registered with La Liga after his summer move. Franck Kessie and Miralem Pjanic could also see run-outs in place of Pedri and Sergio Busquests, who was suspended for the match this past weekend. Raphinha might also start, as he was a substitute in their win.
Pep said back in June at the announcement that he would “bring all the big guns”, but it is up in the air how many of them will actually play in the match. Sunday’s 3-3 draw with Newcastle required quite a bit of effort as the Magpies ran them into the ground. Trailing 3-1 with a half hour to go, they got goals from Erling Haaland and Bernardo Silva over a span of four minutes to secure a draw.
With Crystal Palace visiting at the weekend — a team that beat them 2-0 at the Etihad last season — and the travel to Spain and back, I doubt many of the first-team players will see action. New signings Stefan Ortega, Kalvin Phillips, and Sergio Gomez are likely to replace Ederson, Rodri, and Kyle Walker, respectively. Haaland will probably give way as well to new striker Julian Alvarez, while Riyad Mahrez could start, as he’s been named to just one starting XI through three weeks of action.
Newcastle were able to carve City’s back line apart with aggressive counter-attacks and pace, something Barcelona could do easily with the likes of Fati and Raphinha. Given the fitness concerns for City’s back line early in the season, with Nathan Ake coming off in the first half against Liverpool, I doubt Pep risks any of his primary defenders in this one.
With youth players and new signings likely getting the start, it gives Barcelona’s pace in attack a clear advantage in the matchup. The price is solid for the home side, with no clear favorite on the books, and it’s too much for me to pass up given the emotion that will be in the building for a beloved figure of the club fighting a dreadful disease. Barcelona have lost just once in six meetings with City — and never at Camp Nou. That trend will continue on Wednesday.
Prediction: Barcelona moneyline (+155 at bet365)
Over/Under analysis
This weekend’s second-half goal output for Barcelona was much needed, after a scoreless draw in their previous match. The summer saw them invest in all areas of the pitch, perhaps none more than attack, with the additions of Robert Lewandowski and Raphinha. Neither have scored yet this season, and it’s unlikely Lewandowski will play.
With Ederson almost certainly not playing in this match, and questions of who will play in defense for Manchester City, the odds of the Catalan side finding the back of the net multiple times are quite strong. Even if they do start the likes of Ruben Dias or John Stones at center defense, their fullbacks will be young and untested. Newcastle showed the blueprint for how to attack City at full strength, and I think Barcelona will be able to do enough to score at least twice.
Prediction: Barcelona team total Over 1.5 (-125 at bet365)
Best bet
Kyle Walker was put through hell and back on Sunday by the feet of Allan Saint-Maximin, and I’d wager my month’s paycheck that he isn’t going to play in this one. That means Fati should have a strong day down Barcelona’s left flank. Perhaps Barcelona’s most gifted wide player, the young man has yet to turn 20 and has already shown over two seasons why the club is so high on his stunningly bright future.
Rico Lewis will likely deputize on the right for City, an academy player with one Premier League appearance to his name. He’s never faced a player like Fati before, and it will be a tough ask to lock him down for the entire match. I’d love to bet Fati to assist in this match, but with that unavailable, I’ll gladly take him to score at nearly double the return on my wager.
Pick: Ansu Fati to score anytime (+175 at bet365)
