Manchester City have quickly realised the Champions League is a completely different world from the realms of domestic football and will now be going in search of their first win in Europe this season when they take on Villarreal on Tuesday (City 1/3, draw 4/1, Villarreal 9/1 – match prices).
As far as the Premier League campaign goes, things could not be going better for manager Roberto Mancini and his men, as they sit pretty on the top of the table ahead of rivals Manchester United.
However, it has been a rocky road on their campaign in the Champions League with a draw against Napoli and a lesson in big European nights by one of the best, Bayern Munich, in 2-0 defeat.
City have had time to take stock of the position in what is a tough group for their debut season in the competition, and convincing wins in the Premier League over Blackburn Rovers and Aston Villa will not have done their confidence any harm.
What will have pleased Mancini will be the fact his side are scoring goals from all over the park, with six different players scoring in their last two outings in the top flight.
The recent performances of striker Mario Balotelli will also please the Italian tactician, as the former Inter Milan star has shown some glimpses of the form that made him a highly rated star at the San Siro.
All of City’s stars will have to be on top form if they are to get a result against Villarreal at the Etihad Stadium on Tuesday, as the Spanish outfit have plenty of European experience to draw from.
Former United striker Giuseppe Rossi (8/1 first goalscorer) remains their key attacking threat and he would love to get one over on his former rivals from his time at Old Trafford.
The Yellow Submarine have a number of gifted players dotted around their starting XI with the likes of Jonathan de Guzman, Nilmar and skipper Marcos Senna.
City will have to be wary of their creative talents if they want to secure all three points, but with the form the Blues are in at the moment, they have enough firepower to beat the La Liga outfit.
Meanwhile, local rivals United get set to face new Champions League opposition in the form of Romanian side Otelul Galati (Otelul Galati 14/1, draw 11/2, United 1/5 – match prices).
Last year’s finalists will have to do without the services of experienced defender Rio Ferdinand, who has been left out of the squad with Nemanja Vidic coming back into the side from a calf injury.
Out of favour striker Dimitar Berbatov (4/1 first goalscorer), who missed United’s 1-1 draw with Liverpool has travelled to Romania and could feature in Sir Alex Ferguson’s starting XI.
Otelul Galati only lost 1-0 to Benfica in their last outing in the Champions League and will be no pushovers, but United should have the quality to head back to Old Trafford with the three points.
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