Preview
To be the best, you have to beat the best.
Tonight, our boys in blue face the best. So will it be a Mancunian mauling or a Bavarian bashing?
Recent Champions League history has seen the German giants establish themselves as the alpha-male in a pack of ferocious European lions.
A scintillating 7-0 aggregate win over Lionel Messi's Barcelona in the semi-finals last season sent tremors down the Spanish spine of European football and gave German football a credibility that no one could deny. Pacy winger Franck Ribery even earned himself the European Player of the Year award; an accolade that cast both Messi and Ronaldo into the shadows.
Franck Ribery holds his European Player of the Year award.
But enough about Bayern, and more about our own budding European giants.
All eyes will be on Manuel's minions this evening as the cruel footballing world awaits an Etihad elimination. There's no doubt about it; everyone loves to love Bayern, but everyone loves to hate Manchester City.
Our performance in Plzen definitely supplies encouragement for tonight's fixture, but the Germans are an entirely different kettle of fish. The freak 3-2 loss to Aston Villa at the weekend will be fresh in the minds of Yaya Toure and co. and what better way to redeem ourselves than with a win over the best team in world football?
Yes it's a task, and a tremendous one at that, but a devious feeling tells me we have enough. I remember the atmosphere our wonderful fans created at the Etihad in April 2009 when we so nearly came back from a 3-1 deficit against Hamburg. I believe that atmosphere will reappear tonight.
To be the best you have to beat the best, and I believe we will.
2-1
Line-Up
David Silva is in contention for a starting place but will find it difficult to push out man in form, Samir Nasri. The Frenchman was brought off early in the game at Villa Park despite terrorising the Villains down the left hand side; it seems Manuel Pellegrini had tonight's game in mind.
David Silva could start tonight after coming back from injury.
Sergio Aguero is also expected to return to the starting line-up after missing the weekend's loss with a minor knock. The Argentine will be hoping to build on his terrific match winning performance against Manchester United two weeks ago.
Key Players
Yaya Toure
The Ivorian has always been a key player for the blues, but he's been a revelation so far this season. His power and speed is proving to be too much for the Premier League and it faces the ultimate test tonight. Combating Bayern's talented midfield is something few clubs manage to do, but Yaya will be instrumental in doing just that tonight.
Franck Ribery
The Frenchman loves the Champions League and proved just that last year by winning the European Footballer of the Year award. His speed is frightening and the thought of him running at Aleksandar Kolarov is enough to give City fans nightmares. He'll be at the heart of Bayern's attacking play tonight.
