'BARCELONA IN CRISIS...' began a headline in an English national news website on Sunday morning reporting on the club's Nou Camp defeat to Malaga the previous night.

Yet when the next paragraph reported that the 1-0 loss marked the first time that Luis Enrique's side had failed to win in 12 games, the crisis began to appear a little less, well, critical. Stretch that run all the way back to early November and the Catalans were on a run of 21 wins, a single draw and a single defeat in 23 games in all competitions - that coming against David Moyes' Sociedad. Like tonight's opponents in Manchester, they sit in second place in their domestic league, four points behind Real Madrid.

Meanwhile City are a point worse off, five back of Chelsea in the Barclays Premier League, with little scent of a crisis in the air. The issue, much like it has been for the campaign to date is that the letters that make up crisis are never far from the headline-writers fingers with Enrique at the helm. The manager seemingly cannot shake off the impression that he is not a favoured leader, the whispers of serious tension with Lionel Messi earlier in the campaign still in the Nou Camp air.

The Argentine and Gerard Pique - who gifted Malaga their winning goal at the weekend ­- were forced to defend themselves last night in Manchester after pictures of the pair leaving a casino in the small hours of Sunday morning brought controversy anew to the camp.

Enrique and Pique himself were bemused by discussion of the matter as they arrived at the Etihad Stadium for a press conference to preview the first leg of their last-16 tie with City. There was certainly no suggestion that either player had broken a curfew or any club rules.

"This guy must work for one of the Spanish channels!" said Luis Enique when the question was put to him by an English journalist. "I concentrate on football, not stuff outside it. No gossip. I am not interested."

Pique, the former Manchester United defender, did not deny that he had been to the casino and was not particularly flustered by mention of it.

The 28-year-old said: "It is my private life. We just had a nice time there."

Pique also downplayed claims that the defeat at the weekend had highlighted tensions between the squad and Enrique.

The Spain international said: "There are no problems between ourselves and the manager. We get on fine, the relationship is good. We are just off the bounce of 11 wins. We have demonstrated and know what we have to do. Good results are the only way to show people the team is just like it was three days ago.

"We are playing well, on the right lines. We are playing good football. You can always have the odd slip-up.

"In football, playing against a big team three days after the last defeat is fantastic. You don't have time to reflect.

"We are still considered to be one of the top five teams in the world. I don't think there is anything more at stake other than playing for a place in the quarter-finals of the Champions League, but it is one of the most important games of the last few weeks."

Barca are playing City in the last-16 of Europe's elite club competition for a second successive season. The Catalans prevailed last year, 4-1 on aggregate, after a 2-0 win in the first leg in Manchester. But Pellegrini believes City are in a better position to cope with Messi and co than they were a year ago. Given that they will stare down a red-hot Neymar and Luis Suarez, returning to English shores for the first time, City will need to be in significantly better shape than 12 months ago.

Pellegrini said: "I think that last year was different to this year. We arrived at this stage of the Champions League after playing 19 games in two months, and I don't think it was our best moment.

"But I hope this year we will do it after not playing so many games. I think that our team is in a good moment, although we also recognise we are going to be playing against a very strong team."