MX23RW : Wednesday, October 2 14:47:08| >> :120:15535:15535:
[monks data]
Manchester City logo
Champions League | Group Stage
Sep 30, 2014 at 7.45pm UK
 
Roma logo

1-1

Aguero (4' pen.)
FT(HT: 1-1)
Totti (23')

Preview: Manchester City vs. Roma

Sports Mole looks ahead to Manchester City's home Champions League encounter against Italian outfit Roma at the Etihad Stadium.

In recent seasons, Serie A has been dominated by Juventus. The Old Lady has won the last three titles, but with five matches played this season, their 100% winning record has been matched by Roma.

Rudi Garcia's side also kicked their Champions League campaign off with a resounding 5-1 victory over Russian side CSKA Moscow in the Italian capital earlier this month.

Tomorrow, they will take on a Manchester City side at the Etihad Stadium that were beaten 1-0 by 2012 winners Bayern Munich. With the Germans likely to win the group, Roma and City are expected to battle it out for the second qualification spot, meaning that a defeat will put six points between the English champions and their visitors.

City manager Manuel Pellegrini dropped goalkeeper Joe Hart at the weekend, but reports have claimed that the England number one will return to the starting lineup at the expense of Willy Caballero for the visit of the Giallorossi.

Veteran midfielder Frank Lampard has been in positive goalscoring form of late, but he is likely to start among the substitutes again, while Edin Dzeko and Sergio Aguero will continue their partnership up front. Full-back Pablo Zabaleta is also available for selection after his one-match suspension, but Samir Nasri is sidelined with a groin problem.

Roma also have injury concerns of their own, most notably over midfielder Daniele De Rossi, who is a doubt with a calf knock. Defender Davide Astori has also been ruled out with a knee ligament problem.

The Italians have made 14 previous visits to England, but they have won on just one occasion. They were once famously thrashed 7-1 at Old Trafford by City's rivals Manchester United in 2007.

Recent form

Man City: LDLDWW

Roma: WWWWWW

Possible starting lineups

Man City: Hart; Zabaleta, Kompany, Demichelis, Kolarov; Milner, Fernandinho, Toure, Silva; Aguero, Dzeko

Roma: De Sanctis; Cole, Manolas, Yanga-Mbiwa, Maicon; Keita, Nainggolan; Pjanic, Totti, Gervinho; Destro

Sports Mole says: 1-0


ID:179635: cacheID:179635:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:restore:4994:No Data Analysis info

Previews by email

Click here to get Sports Mole's daily email of previews and predictions for every major game!


Restore Data
Share this article now:
Joe Hart of England looks on fron the bench prior to the international friendly match between England and Chile at Wembley Stadium on November 15, 2013
Read Next:
Team News: Hart remains on City bench
>
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
Tables header RHS

League Phase

TeamPWDLPTS
1Dortmund22006
2B. Leverkusen22006
3Brest22006
4Inter Milan21104
5Man City21104
6Sparta Prague21104
7Arsenal21104
8Sporting Lisbon21104
9Monaco11003
10Bayern11003
11Barcelona21013
12Aston Villa11003
13Juventus11003
14Liverpool11003
15Real Madrid11003
16Atletico11003
17Benfica11003
18PSG21013
19Celtic21013
20Bologna10101
21Shakhtar10101
22Atalanta10101
23PSV20111
24Stuttgart20111
25Girona10010
26RB Leipzig10010
27Sturm Graz10010
28Lille10010
29AC Milan20020
30Brugge10010
31Feyenoord10010
32Red Star20020
33Dinamo Zagreb10010
34Salzburg20020
35Slovan Bratislava20020
36Young Boys20020


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!