Date: Wednesday, October 2 Venue: Etihad Stadium Kick-Off: 19:45 Manchester City take on German and European champions Bayern Munich in a mouth-watering encounter in Group D of the Champions League tonight.
Team News
Manchester City are set to welcome David Silva and Sergio Aguero back into the side to face Bayern Munich on Wednesday night, after both recovered from respective injuries. Silva has not played for five games since sustaining a thigh injury while on international duty with Spain last month, while Aguero was rested in the weekend defeat to Aston Villa due to a minor knock. Mario Goetze may feature for Bayern, though was an unused substitute having been sidelined for the previous three weeks during Sunday's game against Wolfsburg. Bastien Schweinsteiger is also in contention, despite his lack of match fitness. (Eurosport)
Key Stats
Manchester City are unbeaten at home against German opposition in European competition (three wins, two draws). Bayern Munich have won all four of their Champions League games played outside the Allianz Arena in 2013. Bayern have not failed to score in their last eight Champions League away games. The last time they couldnt find the net on the road was in Basel in February 2012. Manchester City's last Champions League win at the Etihad was in December 2011, against Bayern Munich (2-0).
Likely Line-Ups
Man City Hart, Zabaleta, Kompany, Nastasic, Kolarov, Fernandinho, Toure, Navas, Silva, Aguero Negredo Bayern Munich Neuer, Alaba, Van Buyten, Boateng, Lahm, Schweinsteiger, Ribery, Kroos, Muller, Robben, Mandzukic
Match Preview
After two successive years of being paired in the so-called Champions League "Group of Death", the draw has finally been a bit kinder to Manchester City this year. CSKA Moscow and perennial whipping-boys Viktoria Plzen join these two sides in Group D, both of whom have already been made short work of in matchday one of the competition by tonight's opponents. Bayern and City are the two run-away leaders of the group and one of them can take control of it with a win here, which makes this match all the more enticing. The last time Munich visited Etihad Stadium, they were defeated 2-0, but City were already out back in December 2011. The most recent fixture between these two sides ended in a 2-1 win to Bayern at the Allianz Arena on August 2, in the pre-season Audi Cup tournament. Both of them are evenly matched and City will certainly hold no fear for the European Champions, having so confidently dispatched Manchester United earlier this season. Prediction: 1-1
Joseph is an accredited football journalist and has interviewed nearly all of the current 20 Barclay's Premier League managers. He is also a correspondent for Bleacher Report and has written for Caught Offside and Give Me Football.
