Manchester City's director of football Txiki Begiristain said it was "unbelievable" to draw Barcelona in the Champions League again, but believes Manuel Pellegrini's team will go into the games with confidence after their dramatic escape from the group stage.
The Premier League champions were pitted against the 2011 European champions in the last 16 for the second successive year, handing former Barca player and sporting director Begiristain and CEO Ferran Soriano -- who used to hold the same role at the Nou Camp -- a return to their old club.
Barcelona beat City 2-0 at the Etihad Stadium and 2-1 at the Camp Nou last season, and once again City are at home in the first leg.
"It's unbelievable - we don't need to come next year," Begiristain told City's official website. "Every tie in that draw is the same, it's fantastic, so we're looking forward to it."
City took just two points from their first four Champions League games this season but salvaged qualification after defeating Bayern Munich 3-2 - courtesy of a Sergio Aguero hat trick -- and a 2-0 win over Roma at the Stadio Olimpico.
And Begiristain added: "We have plenty of confidence with the way we qualified beating Bayern Munich at home and Roma away, so the players will be working hard to get fit and arrive in confidence for those games.
"We have improved our squad from last season and we have some real quality up front."
Begiristain's opposite number at Barcelona, Andoni Zubizarreta, believes City will be tough opponents for the Liga giants.
"It is the same draw we had a year ago, it was a very difficult game and we are going to look forward to it," ITV reports him as telling Eurosport. "Manchester City have an outstanding squad with a very good coach, a very good team and are very competitive.
"We know all about them. They have been playing at a very high level and it is going to be difficult. Two great teams with incredible players and anything can happen."