A week ago, Man City were preparing to take on European Champions Bayern Munich at the Allianz Arena in their final Champions League group match. Tonight they travel to the King Power Stadium to face Leicester City in the quarter finals of the Capital One Cup.
While this competition may be at the bottom of Manuel Pelligrini's priorities, it is certainly a winnable one, and they're expected to reach the semi-finals after being drawn against the only non Premier League side left in the competition.
But Leicester will give the billionaires a good test. They're currently third in the Championship and have only lost once at home this season in all competitions. Plus they've proven they can beat top flight opposition after overcoming Fulham in the last round.
This is the second game of a big week for Leicester. They started it off with a 1-1 draw at home to Burnley, while this weekend sees them take on league leaders Queens Park Rangers.
But given Man City's recent form, their 6-3 win against Premier League leaders Arsenal and victory in Germany, it would be the biggest shock of the season if Leicester won tonight.
Team news:
Leicester manager Nigel Pearson will be without strikers Chris Wood and Tom Hopper with hamstring and shin problems respectively, while Sean St Ledger remains out with a groin injury.
However, Jamie Vardy is available. The forward went off during Saturday's draw with Burnley with a foot injury but should play tonight.
The visitors will be without Sergio Aguero after he picked up a calf injury in their 6-3 win against Arsenal on Saturday and has been ruled out for a month. Defenders Micah Richards and Matija Nastasic are also sidelined with hamstring and calf problems respectively.
Pelligrini is likely to make numerous changes from their weekend victory over Arsenal, with Joe Hart likely to start in goal. Edin Dzeko, James Milner and Joleon Lescott are also set to be involved.
Likely line-ups:
Leicester: Schmeichel, De Laet, Morgan, Moore, Konchesky, Knockaert, James, Drinkwater, Dyer, Vardy, Nugent.
Man City: Hart, Zabaleta, Lescott, Boyata, Kolarov, Javi Garcia, Rodwell, Milner, Jesus Navas, Dzeko, Jovetic.
Odds: Leicester (11/2) Draw (4/1) Man City (2/5)
Edin Dzeko to score a hat-trick (14/1)
Man City to win 5-1 (33/1)
Tuesday, 17 December 2013
Monday, 16 December 2013
Europa League Draw: Swans drawn against Napoli
Managerless Tottenham Hotspur will face Ukrainian side Dnipro in the last 32 of the Europa League, while Swansea play host to European giants Napoli.
Dnipro, managed by former Spurs boss Juande Ramos, finished second in Group E and are fourth in the Ukrainian league. Former Blackburn striker Nikola Kalinic is on their books.
Swansea were handed a dream draw as they play Italian giants Napoli, who were unlucky to have exited the Champions League after finishing third in Group F despite winning four of their six group games. Rafa Benitez' side are second in Serie A and have a squad full of world class talent, including Pepe Reina, Gonzalo Higuain and Marek Hamsik.
Should Spurs and Swansea win their last 32 ties, they will play the winners of the PAOK Salonika v Benfica and Porto v Eintracht Frankfurt matches respectively.
Elsewhere, Juventus play Trabzonspor and the prospect of another trip to Turkey after losing to Galatasaray in their final Champions League group game which saw them fall into the Europa League.
Their is also the prospect of a Sevilla derby in the last 16, so long as Sevilla beat Slovenian side NK Maribor and Real Betis get past Rubin Kazan of Russia.
The first leg ties of the last 32 will take place on 20th February, with the second leg a week later. The last 16 matches will take place on 13th/20th March.
Last 32 draw
Dnipro v Tottenham Hotspur (return of Juande Ramos)
Real Betis v Rubin Kazan
Swansea City v Napoli
Juventus v Trabzonspor
NK Maribor v Sevilla
Viktoria Plzen v Shakhtar Donetsk
Chornomorets v Lyon
Lazio v Ludogorets
Esbjerg v Fiorentina
Ajax v Salzburg
Maccabi Tel-Aviv v Basel
Porto v Eintracht Frankfurt
Anji v Genk
Dynamo Kiev v Valencia
PAOK v Benfica
Slovan Liberec v AZ Alkmaar
Last 16 draw
Slovan Liberec/AZ Alkmaar v Anji/Genk
Lazio/Ludogorets v Dynamo Kiev/Valencia
Porto/Eintracht Frankfurt v Swansea City/Napoli
Chornomorets/Lyon v Viktoria Plzen/Shakhtar Donetsk
NK Maribor/Sevilla v Real Betis/Rubin Kazan
Dnipro/Tottenham Hotspur v PAOK/Benfica
Maccabi Tel-Aviv/Basel v Ajax/Salzburg
Juventus/Trabzonspor v Esbjerg/Fiorentina
Dnipro, managed by former Spurs boss Juande Ramos, finished second in Group E and are fourth in the Ukrainian league. Former Blackburn striker Nikola Kalinic is on their books.
Swansea were handed a dream draw as they play Italian giants Napoli, who were unlucky to have exited the Champions League after finishing third in Group F despite winning four of their six group games. Rafa Benitez' side are second in Serie A and have a squad full of world class talent, including Pepe Reina, Gonzalo Higuain and Marek Hamsik.
Should Spurs and Swansea win their last 32 ties, they will play the winners of the PAOK Salonika v Benfica and Porto v Eintracht Frankfurt matches respectively.
Elsewhere, Juventus play Trabzonspor and the prospect of another trip to Turkey after losing to Galatasaray in their final Champions League group game which saw them fall into the Europa League.
Their is also the prospect of a Sevilla derby in the last 16, so long as Sevilla beat Slovenian side NK Maribor and Real Betis get past Rubin Kazan of Russia.
The first leg ties of the last 32 will take place on 20th February, with the second leg a week later. The last 16 matches will take place on 13th/20th March.
Last 32 draw
Dnipro v Tottenham Hotspur (return of Juande Ramos)
Real Betis v Rubin Kazan
Swansea City v Napoli
Juventus v Trabzonspor
NK Maribor v Sevilla
Viktoria Plzen v Shakhtar Donetsk
Chornomorets v Lyon
Lazio v Ludogorets
Esbjerg v Fiorentina
Ajax v Salzburg
Maccabi Tel-Aviv v Basel
Porto v Eintracht Frankfurt
Anji v Genk
Dynamo Kiev v Valencia
PAOK v Benfica
Slovan Liberec v AZ Alkmaar
Last 16 draw
Slovan Liberec/AZ Alkmaar v Anji/Genk
Lazio/Ludogorets v Dynamo Kiev/Valencia
Porto/Eintracht Frankfurt v Swansea City/Napoli
Chornomorets/Lyon v Viktoria Plzen/Shakhtar Donetsk
NK Maribor/Sevilla v Real Betis/Rubin Kazan
Dnipro/Tottenham Hotspur v PAOK/Benfica
Maccabi Tel-Aviv/Basel v Ajax/Salzburg
Juventus/Trabzonspor v Esbjerg/Fiorentina
Champions League Draw Last 16: Man City drawn against Barcelona
Arsenal and Manchester City both paid the price of finishing second in their Champions League group after they were handed tough draws for the last 16 of the competition.
City were the first name out and were drawn against Barcelona, while Arsenal play Champions League holders Bayern Munich, a repeat of the same draw from last season.
In contrast, group winners Man United and Chelsea face easier ties. David Moyes' side face Olympiakos, while their will be a return to Stamford Bridge for Didier Drogba after the Blues were drawn against Galatasaray.
Elsewhere, Real Madrid will face Schalke, Atletico Madrid play AC Milan, Paris Saint-Germain were drawn against Bayer Leverkusen and last seasons beaten finalists Borussia Dortmund play Russian side Zenit St Petersburg.
The first legs will take place on 18/19/25/26 February, with the return games set for 11/12/18/19 March.
Manchester City v Barcelona
Olympiakos v Manchester United
AC Milan v Atletico Madrid
Bayer Leverkusen v Paris Saint-Germain
Galatasaray v Chelsea
Schalke v Real Madrid
Zenit St Petersburg v Borussia Dortmund
Arsenal v Bayern Munich
City were the first name out and were drawn against Barcelona, while Arsenal play Champions League holders Bayern Munich, a repeat of the same draw from last season.
In contrast, group winners Man United and Chelsea face easier ties. David Moyes' side face Olympiakos, while their will be a return to Stamford Bridge for Didier Drogba after the Blues were drawn against Galatasaray.
Elsewhere, Real Madrid will face Schalke, Atletico Madrid play AC Milan, Paris Saint-Germain were drawn against Bayer Leverkusen and last seasons beaten finalists Borussia Dortmund play Russian side Zenit St Petersburg.
The first legs will take place on 18/19/25/26 February, with the return games set for 11/12/18/19 March.
Manchester City v Barcelona
Olympiakos v Manchester United
AC Milan v Atletico Madrid
Bayer Leverkusen v Paris Saint-Germain
Galatasaray v Chelsea
Schalke v Real Madrid
Zenit St Petersburg v Borussia Dortmund
Arsenal v Bayern Munich
Tuesday, 10 December 2013
Bayern Munich v Man City - Match Report
Manchester City staged an incredible comeback against European Champions Bayern Munich, coming from 2-0 down to win 3-2.
The Germans were 2-0 up inside 12 minutes, but goals from David Silva, an Aleksander Kolarov penalty and James Milner ensured City recorded an historic victory, although the result wasn't enough for them to top Group D.
City boss Manuel Pelligrini made seven changes to the side that drew 1-1 at Southampton on Saturday, with the big game versus Arsenal at Saturday lunchtime on the horizon. Sergio Aguero, Alvaro Negredo and Vincent Kompany were all named on the bench, with Joe Hart given his first start since their last Champions League game vs Viktoria Plzen. There was also a return from injury for David Silva.
That was in contrast to Pep Guardiola who named arguably his strongest possible side, including the Ballon D'or shortlisted Franck Ribery.
Before the game, both teams posed for a photo to remember Nelson Mandela with the banner reading 'Madiba, The World Will Never Forget', who died on Thursday.
The Germans gave Man City a lesson in the reverse fixture in October and it was more of the same at the Allianz Arena in the opening 20 minutes.
Signs of City's vulnerability at the back were evident from the off as Joleon Lescott and Hart got in a mix up, with the England defender's pass back going out for a corner.
Things got worse just moments later as Bayern took the lead after just five minutes. A wonderful cross-field ball by Dante found Thomas Muller who chested the ball down before firing past Hart.
Provider then almost turned goalscorer, but Dante's header from a freekick was comfortably held by Hart.
A second Bayern goal looked inevitable though, and it arrived just twelve minutes in. Following an error by Lescott that was nearly punished by Franck Ribery, the resulting corner saw Muller's shot blocked but the ball fell to the unmarked Mario Gotze who couldn't miss.
City's nightmare start continued as Micah Richards limped off with a hamstring injury, with Pablo Zabaleta replacing him.
It looked set to be a very long evening for the visitors, having not mustered a serious attempt on goal for half-an-hour. That was until Jesus Navas' early cross was headed back across goal by Milner, with Silva on hand to slide in for a tap in.
That goal seemed to give City belief and although they didn't create anymore clear cut chances for the remainder of the first half, they kept the hosts quiet, with Demichelis blocking a Mario Mandzukic shot the only real threat.
City's improved performance continued at the start of the second half, as Edin Dzeko's shot from a Silva pass was saved by Neuer.
Before the hour mark City were awarded a penalty as Dante was adjudged to have brought down Milner. Stand-in captain Kolarov put the spot-kick away into the bottom left corner, sending Neuer the wrong way.
And City completed their unlikely comeback minutes after levelling. Navas' low cross bypassed everyone until the ball fell to Milner on the edge of the area, who calmly side footed the ball past Neuer into the bottom corner for his first goal of the season.
Remarkably, City were now just one goal away from a result that would see them top Group D, with a 4-2 win enough for them to finish above their opponents. In pursuit of the goal, Pelligrini brought on Spaniard Negredo for Silva for the last twenty minutes.
That fourth goal nearly came when Dante hesistated in defence, allowing Negredo to take the ball off him, but from a tight angle found Neuer's trailing leg.
With two minutes to go, Pelligrini took off a striker, Dzeko, for midfielder Rodwell, suggesting he would be just happy with the win rather than go out for the elusive fourth.
City had to settle for the three and recorded a historic victory against the European Champions. And although City finished second, they showed that they will be a test for anyone in the knockout stages.
Bayern Munich: Neuer; Lahm (C), Boateng, Dante, Alaba; Thiago Alcantara; Muller, Gotze (Javi Martinez - 55'), Ribery, Kroos; Mandzukic (Shaqiri - 68'). Subs not used: Van Buyten, Rafinha, Pizarro, Starke, Contento.
Goalscorers: Muller (5'), Gotze (12') Booked: Alaba (40')
Man City: Hart; Richards (Zabaleta - 16'), Lescott, Demichelis, Kolarov (C); Fernandinho, Javi Garcia; Milner, Silva (Negredo - 73'), Jesus Navas; Dzeko (Rodwell - 88'). Subs not used: Kompany, Aguero, Pantillimon, Boyata.
Goalscorers: Silva (28'), Kolarov (pen 59'), Milner (62') Booked: Dzeko (42'), Milner (44'), Fernandinho (78'), Zabaleta (83')
Referee: David Fernandez Borbalan
The Germans were 2-0 up inside 12 minutes, but goals from David Silva, an Aleksander Kolarov penalty and James Milner ensured City recorded an historic victory, although the result wasn't enough for them to top Group D.
City boss Manuel Pelligrini made seven changes to the side that drew 1-1 at Southampton on Saturday, with the big game versus Arsenal at Saturday lunchtime on the horizon. Sergio Aguero, Alvaro Negredo and Vincent Kompany were all named on the bench, with Joe Hart given his first start since their last Champions League game vs Viktoria Plzen. There was also a return from injury for David Silva.
That was in contrast to Pep Guardiola who named arguably his strongest possible side, including the Ballon D'or shortlisted Franck Ribery.
Before the game, both teams posed for a photo to remember Nelson Mandela with the banner reading 'Madiba, The World Will Never Forget', who died on Thursday.
The Germans gave Man City a lesson in the reverse fixture in October and it was more of the same at the Allianz Arena in the opening 20 minutes.
Signs of City's vulnerability at the back were evident from the off as Joleon Lescott and Hart got in a mix up, with the England defender's pass back going out for a corner.
Things got worse just moments later as Bayern took the lead after just five minutes. A wonderful cross-field ball by Dante found Thomas Muller who chested the ball down before firing past Hart.
Provider then almost turned goalscorer, but Dante's header from a freekick was comfortably held by Hart.
A second Bayern goal looked inevitable though, and it arrived just twelve minutes in. Following an error by Lescott that was nearly punished by Franck Ribery, the resulting corner saw Muller's shot blocked but the ball fell to the unmarked Mario Gotze who couldn't miss.
City's nightmare start continued as Micah Richards limped off with a hamstring injury, with Pablo Zabaleta replacing him.
It looked set to be a very long evening for the visitors, having not mustered a serious attempt on goal for half-an-hour. That was until Jesus Navas' early cross was headed back across goal by Milner, with Silva on hand to slide in for a tap in.
That goal seemed to give City belief and although they didn't create anymore clear cut chances for the remainder of the first half, they kept the hosts quiet, with Demichelis blocking a Mario Mandzukic shot the only real threat.
City's improved performance continued at the start of the second half, as Edin Dzeko's shot from a Silva pass was saved by Neuer.
Before the hour mark City were awarded a penalty as Dante was adjudged to have brought down Milner. Stand-in captain Kolarov put the spot-kick away into the bottom left corner, sending Neuer the wrong way.
And City completed their unlikely comeback minutes after levelling. Navas' low cross bypassed everyone until the ball fell to Milner on the edge of the area, who calmly side footed the ball past Neuer into the bottom corner for his first goal of the season.
Remarkably, City were now just one goal away from a result that would see them top Group D, with a 4-2 win enough for them to finish above their opponents. In pursuit of the goal, Pelligrini brought on Spaniard Negredo for Silva for the last twenty minutes.
That fourth goal nearly came when Dante hesistated in defence, allowing Negredo to take the ball off him, but from a tight angle found Neuer's trailing leg.
With two minutes to go, Pelligrini took off a striker, Dzeko, for midfielder Rodwell, suggesting he would be just happy with the win rather than go out for the elusive fourth.
City had to settle for the three and recorded a historic victory against the European Champions. And although City finished second, they showed that they will be a test for anyone in the knockout stages.
Bayern Munich: Neuer; Lahm (C), Boateng, Dante, Alaba; Thiago Alcantara; Muller, Gotze (Javi Martinez - 55'), Ribery, Kroos; Mandzukic (Shaqiri - 68'). Subs not used: Van Buyten, Rafinha, Pizarro, Starke, Contento.
Goalscorers: Muller (5'), Gotze (12') Booked: Alaba (40')
Man City: Hart; Richards (Zabaleta - 16'), Lescott, Demichelis, Kolarov (C); Fernandinho, Javi Garcia; Milner, Silva (Negredo - 73'), Jesus Navas; Dzeko (Rodwell - 88'). Subs not used: Kompany, Aguero, Pantillimon, Boyata.
Goalscorers: Silva (28'), Kolarov (pen 59'), Milner (62') Booked: Dzeko (42'), Milner (44'), Fernandinho (78'), Zabaleta (83')
Referee: David Fernandez Borbalan
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