Preview
Dissatisfied grumbling resounded around the Grimaldi Forum in Monaco last month as Manchester City were drawn in the same group as Bayern Munich for a second successive year. But for a club who endeavour to wrestle their way into the European elite, the German champions will offer Manchester City an indicator of how much they've either progressed, or gone backwards since last term.
The Bavarians teased the English champions in the same fixture 10 months ago. A 12-minute onslaught saw Thomas Müller and Mario Götze fire the kings of Europe into an early 2-0 lead, but a James Milner inspired fightback earned the blues an inconceivable 3-2 victory at the Allianz Arena. The win reilluminated faint hopes of a substantial run in football's most prestigious club competition, but Guardiola's side had already qualified, and the velocity of their early play coerced them into laziness and disorganisation in the second half. City, ironically, were knocked out by an unimpressive Barcelona team in the last 16.
(Thomas Müller slotted Bayern into a five-minute lead at the Allianz Arena last December)
Remarkably, the man who orchestrated that famous result could leave the Etihad Stadium for as little as £5m in January. James Milner, whose current deal expires at the end of next season, has refused to commit his future to the club unless Manuel Pellegrini can guarantee him an extra helping of first-team football this year. The 28-year-old started and impressed with typical perseverance in City's 2-2 draw with Arsenal on Saturday, and his presence in the centre of midfield in the second half added solidity to a line-up that lacked the power of Yaya Touré.
Milner's professional display signaled his importance to the strength of Manchester City's squad, but the Liverpool and Everton target, unfortunately, will never hold down a slot in the starting eleven.
Jesus Navas, another player on the fringes of Manuel Pellegrini's star studded platoon, gave the Chilean a reminder of how vital he can be to City's title chances this season on Saturday. The blues have relied on the respective keep-ball qualities of Yaya Touré, Samir Nasri and David Silva to unlock defences in their first four Premier League fixtures, but against Stoke City a fortnight ago, the trusty trio failed to penetrate an impenetrable back-line. Navas offers a refreshing dose of pace and classic wing play that the Etihad Stadium hasn't seen since the days of Shaun Wright-Phillips, and although he may lack strength, the Spaniard gives the blues something different going forward, especially on the counter attack.
Against teams that like to keep the ball, he should be considered more often.
(Jesus Navas raced down the flank to provide Sergio Agüero with a tap in on Saturday afternoon)
Bayern Munich have strengthened this summer, bringing in AS Roma defender Mehdi Benatia and prolific Borussia Dortmund striker Robert Lewandowksi, but their real strength still lies in midfield. The arrival of Xabi Alonso infuses that midfield with even more Champions League and World Cup winning experience, and alongside Bastian Schweinsteiger and Thiago Alcântara, the Spaniard completes a threesome packed with steel, imagination and skill.
Fortunately, Alonso's midfield partners will play no part in Wednesday night's clash after suffering respective knee and ankle injuries. Arjen Robben sat out of Bayern's training session on Sunday, but rejoined the team on Monday afternoon. Fellow winger Franck Ribery has been officially ruled out.
(Arjen Robben is in contention to start on Wednesday night, whilst Bastian Schweinsteiger has been ruled out with an ankle injury)
Real Madrid's unconvincing start to the season arguably renders Pep Guardiola's side the favourites for this year's competition. Luis Suárez, Lionel Messi and Neymar will form a formidable front three for Barcelona later this year, and José Mourinho's Chelsea have kicked off their Premier League campaign in style, but the German's are equipped with unrivaled strength and experience in every area of the field.
There's never a 'good' time to play Bayern Munich, but Manchester City must take advantage of multiple casualties on Wednesday evening to aid their pursuit out of a challenging Group E.
Prediction: 1-1
Prediction: 1-1
Line-Ups
Possible Bayern Munich starting XI
- Schweinsteiger, Thiago, Ribery and Bastuber all out
- Robben trained with the team yesterday
- Five World Cup winners could start
Possible Manchester City starting XI
- Zabaleta ruled out through suspension, Sagna likely to start
- Yaya Touré set to return after being given a rest against Arsenal
- Milner and Navas could start for the second successive week after impressing on Saturday
Match Stats
- James Milner inspired a 3-2 comeback at the Allianz Arena last December as both teams qualified from Group D
- The teams have met four times in the last three years, and have recorded two wins each
- Both sides won their respective divisions last term
- Bayern have won 11, drawn 6 and lost 3 times at home against English teams in the Champions League
