What: Champions League – Group A
Who: Villarreal vs Manchester City
When: Wednesday 2nd October, 2011, at 19:45 UK time
Where: El Madrigal, Villarreal, Spain
Torrid Times
Whether it goes by the label “Group of Death”, or any other tag, the outcome remains the same: Group A is this season’s fiercest Champions League group, incorporating Manchester City, Villarreal, Bayern Munich and Napoli.
Three of the sides are legitimate title contenders in their respective countries, whilst one managed to finish in second place in the 2007/08 La Liga campaign, amidst the Real Madrid-Barcelona dominance.
With no points in three Champions League games so far, Villarreal’s story is truly an astonishing one. The sale of team star Santiago Cazorla to Spanish nouveau-riche Malaga this past summer substantially weakened the side, leaving the likes of Nilmar and Giuseppe Rossi unable to carry the same threat in the absence of the Spain international. And as if this was not enough for the Yellow Submarine, Rossi’s six-month absence on the sidelines now due to a torn anterior cruciate ligament will undoubtedly all but deliver the knockout blow to their aspirations.
Against a very dangerous Manchester City, Villarreal will have to be at their absolute best in order to avoid defeat, even at El Madrigal. The Citizens declared a statement of intent following their drubbing of neighbours Manchester United, but still need to translate that to the European stage. Indeed, Villarreal not only lived with City two weeks ago at Eastlands, but gave Roberto Mancini’s men a torrid test.
Blueprint Season
In whatever fashion Manchester City finish their 2011/12 campaign, this season will set a pedestal for the Light Blues in the years to come. Having frankly warned that they are legitimate title contenders after dispatching Manchester United 6-1 at Old Trafford, the current Premier League leaders will want to replicate their domestic form in Europe’s number one club competition. To do so, Napoli and Bayern Munich must be overtaken.
And City certainly do not lack the firepower to do so: With the intelligent David Silva, lethal Mario Balotelli and fast Sergio Aguero leading the charge, the onus is on the team to come up with the trophies after millions of pounds spent by owner Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan. As Aguero himself declared recently, there is a lot of optimism concerning Manchester City’s near and distant future: “I’m very happy here [at Manchester City], because the team has good players and is the best team I’ve ever played in. I hope that we can go on to win a lot of titles, a lot of trophies.”
With Villarreal in a tight spot, now would be the ideal time for Roberto Mancini and his men to get the three points, but the Italian will be well aware of what a stubborn obstacle the Spanish proved to be just two weeks ago.
Recent form
Villarreal:
Villarreal 0-3 Levante (23/10; La Liga)
Real Madrid 3-0 Villarreal (26/10; La Liga)
Villarreal 2-0 Rayo Vallecano (29/10; La Liga)
Manchester City:
Manchester United 1-6 Manchester City (23/10; Premier League)
Wolverhampton Wanderers 2-5 Manchester City (26/10; League Cup)
Manchester City 3-1 Wolverhampton Wanderers (29/10; Premier League)
Key absences
Villarreal: Giuseppe Rossi; Carlos Marchena; Nilmar; Cani; Marcos Senna; Marco Ruben; Javier Camunas
Manchester City: Owen Hargreaves
Players to watch
Villarreal – Borja Valero: The playmaker has failed to reproduce the form that saw him attract much interest in the last two seasons. With key players such as Nilmar and Giuseppe Rossi missing this one, extra responsibility will lie on his shoulders as Villarreal attempt to improve their results.
Manchester City – David Silva: A good chunk of City’s impressive run has been attributed to David Silva. The former Valencia midfielder is undoubtedly the best in England in his position at the moment, with his display against United still fresh in the mind. Against an old rival, the Spaniard will have extra motivation.
Match Prediction
Both teams are at opposite ends of the performance spectrum, with City over the moon recently and Villarreal stuttering, despite a 2-0 win over Rayo Vallecano at the weekend. The latter’s Champions League dream for this season is over and City will clinch all three points as they pursue their own. Villarreal 0-3 Manchester City.
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