City prepare to face in-form Roma

Posted Sunday, September 28, 2014 by Foxsports.com

City go into the match at the Etihad Stadium on Tuesday looking to kick-start their campaign after suffering a 1-0 defeat at Bayern Munich in their pool opener.

The Blues are more than familiar with Bayern and the threats they pose, with this being the third time in four seasons they have been drawn together in the same group with the German giants.

Russians CSKA Moscow were also in City's group last term - when Manuel Pellegrini's men managed to make the knockout stages for the first time in the club's history - as well as joining them this time out.

The newcomers among the party of four are Roma, who had a memorably miserable time of it in Manchester in 2006/07 when they were hammered 7-1 in the Champions League quarter finals by Manchester United at Old Trafford.

If that would appear a good omen for City, it is also worth nothing the Italian outfit have won only once in 14 previous visits to England.

However, the Giallorossi have very much been a team on a roll since the start of the season.

A 100 per cent record in their first few games has taken them joint-top of Serie A, while their matchday one encounter in Group E saw them hammer CSKA 5-1 at home.

City, meanwhile, have made something of a slow start to 2014/15, and Pellegrini admits a factor in that may be the knock-on effect of the World Cup.

"Maybe it has some link with the World Cup," the Chilean said.

"There were so many games that the players had to play, especially the players that got to the final and the semi-finals.

"They just had I think 20 days of holiday, no more. Maybe it has some relation."

What will surely be a boost for City in this contest is that Pellegrini will be back in the dugout.

The 61-year-old watched the Bayern game from the stands as he completed a two-match touchline ban for controversial comments about Swedish referee Jonas Eriksson last season.