Much has been made about the change of style at Barcelona under Tata Martino. But while the Catalan club are slightly more direct, the change is not too drastic.
Barca still top the La Liga table for short passes per game, average possession and only one side attempts fewer long balls per game.
Indeed according to stats by Squawka, Barcelona's average pass length has dropped this season by one metre to 16m.
Average possession has also dropped from 63 per cent to 60 per cent which is signifcant but not ground-breaking.
What won't change is Barcelona's approach tonight against Manchester City. The La Liga side will control possession with Manchester City playing on the break at the Etihad, despite promises to attack.
It is a template that has worked well for the likes of Chelsea and Bayern Munich in the Champions League in recent seasons and there are glaring weaknesses for City to exploit.
Set pieces
A weakness in the air has been a long-standing problem for Barcelona due to the relatively small size of their players.
Six of the 17 goals conceded by Barca this season have come from corner kicks, while City have scored seven Premier League goals from corner kicks this season with the height of Vincent Kompany, Yaya Toure and Alvaro Negredo sure to be a problem for Barcelona to have to deal with.
Overall 16 of the goals Barcelona have conceded have come inside their own penalty area, with over 35 per cent of goals a result of headers.
As the Squawka stat shows, preventing headed goals is a headache for Tata Martino...
Visit Squawka for a more detailed view of how each goal is conceded
Closing off space down the middle
As this Squawka graphic reveals, Barcelona still attack predominantly down the middle, even if there is a slight increase in chances created from wide positions in comparsion to 2012/13.
There is a problem for Manchester City however because they play a four-man midfield instead of the packed five-man midfields that opposition teams normally field against Barcelona.
Yaya Toure's defensive indiscipline in the central zone could also be an issue if Fernandinho - assuming he is fit to start - is his sole partner in a middle area which will be dominated by Lionel Messi, Andres Iniesta, Xavi and the infield darts of Neymar, Pedro or Alexis Sanchez.
However, by playing a five-man midfield Manuel Pellegrini's main issue will be to prevent the main striker - presumably Alvaro Negredo - becoming isolated from the midfield reinforcements. Thus the pace of Jesus Navas could be useful, although he does not provide a regular goal threat. Additionally Toure's pace and power on the break could be unleashed from a more advanced position if an extra defensive midfielder is fielded behind him.
