Sergio Aguero looks dejected after defeat to Burnley
Glenn Hoddle fears Manchester City may get a "hammering" at Barcelona on Tuesday night if Manuel Pellegrini chooses to play with two strikers at the Nou Camp.
City are 2-1 down from the last-16 first leg, a goal better off than they were against the same side last season when they exited the Champions League at the same stage.
And Hoddle feels City are in a strange position going into the clash, but says Barcelona are ultimately too good for them.
Luis Suarez celebrates scoring against City in the first leg
He told Super Sunday: "They are in an awkward position. They will probably go with two up front again and if they do that it will cause all sorts of problems.
"They've got to get a result and they are not learning from their lessons. If he (Manuel Pellegrini) goes with two up front, I fear for them.
Barcelona vs Man City
March 18, 2015
"What they've got to do is play more savvy and get runners from midfield, but I wouldn't be surprised if they go with two up front.
"At some stage, they are going to have to go for it and I fear they might get a hammering if they do and when they do, whether it's from the start or at some stage.
Manuel Pellegrini may go with two strikers at the Nou Camp
"I think Barca are just too good for them whatever shape they play."
Gary Neville also has little hope of City pulling off one of the biggest results in their history at the Nou Camp, insisting the club have gone "stale" in recent months.
City are now six points behind Chelsea in the Premier League title race after a shock 1-0 defeat at Burnley on Saturday.
Neville said: "When you keep making the same mistakes in Europe, which I think they have, it destabilises their confidence.
Jamie Redknapp and Thierry Henry both agreed that Man City should have won a penalty at Turf Moor, but their performance did not warrant any luck
"Against Barcelona at home, those players will have come off the pitch saying 'we've done it again'. You only get so many chances to prove you're good enough to accept a situation.
"I think this team are stale. I think they are a good team, but they haven't proven they can go on and win back-to-back championships or progress to the latter stages of the Champions League.
"We all know what the owners from Abu Dhabi want. They want Champions League success and back-to-back championships. This won't be good enough for them."
City lost out to Barcelona at the same stage of the competition last year
Former Manchester United defender Neville insists City have not kicked on from winning the title last season, and says he expects the team to be more gelled after having spent a considerable amount of time together.
"They are the champions of England, but they haven't kicked on when they've been champions twice. This team has been together for four years - eight, nine or 10 players are playing together every week that have been there for four years.
"I was massively disappointed in their performance at Liverpool. Some of the stuff we saw on the pitch that day was really poor. Basic things like not blocking the paths off on easy throw-ins."
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