Allen Hamilton
What: Champions League – Group A
Who: Manchester City vs Villarreal
When: Tuesday 18th October, at 19:45 UK Time
Where: Eastlands, Manchester, England
Time To Get It Right
Troubled would be a choice word to describe Manchester City’s introduction to Champions League football. The club’s opening day clash, against Napoli, quickly showed just how much adapting Roberto Mancini’s men have to do as the Italians zipped the ball across the plush Eastlands turf. That adaptation is not physical however, it is mental, and reared its ugly head during the club’s second group game, away at Bayern Munich.
That night at the Allianz Arena will have been one Mancini wants to forget. Infamous for Carlos Tevez’ alleged refusal to come on as a second half substitute, when City, losing 2-0, desperately needed a spark of inspiration, the game also saw the English wilt under German pressure. Now City need to kick-start their Champions League push for, if they fail to beat Villarreal, a side that have already lost to Bayern Munich and Napoli, it will could be game over.
Mancini though is confident that will not happen. "I am still convinced that we will qualify. We’ve only played two games and four remain. Villarreal have lost their way, they’re almost out. Napoli are a strong, well-organised team. Bayern Munich are like a steamroller at the moment, crushing everyone. But in Germany, when the score was 0-0, we had two penalty claims turned down."
Yellow Submarine Not Sunk Yet
Villarreal have made a disappointing start to this season’s Champions League; for seasoned competitors however, Juan Carlos Garrido’s side will know that there is a lot of football yet to be played in Group A. Should the Spaniards steal victory here, then everything changes.
And Garrido believes his side are starting to produce better performances, stabilising a poor start to this year’s La Liga with a 0-0 draw at Getafe on Saturday. "Today I can say that the team is working very well", said the Yellow Submarine coach. "With hard work, things will go right. I’m optimistic."
The 42-year-old tactician needs Villarreal’s luck to change. With only two league defeats from seven games, Villarreal have lost as many times as fifth placed Malaga, but just one win, combined with four draws, means Garrido’s side are closer to the bottom of the table than the top. A win at Eastlands could spark a real change of luck, and the Spanish do have the quality to create fortune for themselves.
Recent form
Manchester City:
Bayern Munich 2-0 Manchester City (27/09; Champions League)
Blackburn Rovers 0-4 Manchester City (01/10; Premier League)
Manchester City 4-1 Aston Villa (15/10; Premier League)
Villarreal:
Napoli 2-0 Villarreal
(27/09; Champions League)
Villarreal 0-0 Real Zaragoza (01/10; La Liga)
Getafe 0-0 Villarreal (15/10; La Liga)
Key absences
Manchester City: Sergio Aguero (doubt)
Villarreal: Marco Ruben (doubt); Nilmar; Javier Camunas; Marcos Senna (doubt); Angel Lopez
Players to watch
Manchester City – David Silva: Facing a club from his homeland will be extra motivation for Silva to show his best. The little Spaniard is technically excellent and able to set the tempo of the Citizens’ play. Having only been used as a second half substitute in the side’s 4-1 weekend win over Aston Villa, Silva should be fresh and raring to go for this clash.
Villarreal – Bruno Soriano: Tracked by City’s rivals Manchester United, Soriano is a tough-tackling midfielder who will bring real bite to the middle of the park in this game. The 27-year-old is rapidly emerging as the new Marcos Senna, and as a product of Villarreal’s youth academy has a genuine link to the club’s supporters. Soriano can take another step forward by bossing the engine room here.
Match Prediction
Manchester City need to shake off their Champions League nerves to see off Villarreal here – it is simply essential as the club look to build momentum to qualify from the group. For the Spanish, this really is do or die. While a draw would not be the worst result, the Yellow Submarine need to grab the three points or stare at, at best, Europa League football. Unfortunately for Villarreal, City should make no mistake. Manchester City 2-0 Villarreal.
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