Manchester City vs Villarreal CF - UEFA Champions League

Manchester City vs Villarreal CF
UEFA Champions League, Group A
Date : 18.October 2011
Stadium : Etihad Stadum - Manchester

On Tuesday, 18th October at 20:45 (CET), Manchester City will host Villareal CF in UEFA Champions League Group A. Either side has yet to win in group play and round out the bottom half of the group.

Despite Manchester City's early domination in the English Premier League, they have struggled to get results in Europe. First match was a 1-1 draw with Napoli in which a late equalizer from Aleksandar Kolarov was necessary to salvage a point at home. Next time out was against Bayern Munich, where rumours that Carlos Tevez refused to substitute topped off the 2-0 loss. Roberto Mancini has received some good news in the return of Sergio Aguero from injury. The Argentine striker would be a welcome complement should the boss choose to deploy him against Villarreal.

The Yellow Submarine has had an uncharacteristically slow start to their 2011/2012 campaign, so far winless in Europe and amassing just 7 points from as many matches in the Spanish Primera. Opening up with a 0-2 loss to Bayern Munich at La Madrigal, Villareal did not improve when traveling to Napoli, where they also lost 2-0. Manager Juan Garrido will find himself fighting an uphill battle against Manchester City and will hope players the likes of Marcos Senna and Guiseppe Rossi will provide the spark to avoid defeat.

Head to Head :
Last Meeting : These teams have not previously met.

Recent Performance :
Manchester City : Win / Win / Lose / Win / Win
Villarreal : Draw / Draw / Lose / Draw / Win

Possible Line-Ups :
Manchester City : Hart - Kompany, Richards, Lescott, Clichy, De Jong, Barry, Y. Toure, Milner, Balotelli, Dzeko.
Villarreal : Lopez - Marchena, Rodriguez, Zapata, Catala, Senna, Guzman, Cani, Valero, Rossi, Soriano.

Betting Tip/Prediction :
Villareal have seemed a stale side in recent matches and Manchester City's dynamic attack will find a way to exploit this and get their first win in Group A.
Our Tip : Manchester City to Win (1x2)