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Roma logo
Champions League | Group Stage
Dec 10, 2014 at 7.45pm UK
 
Manchester City logo

0-2

FT(HT: 0-0)
Nasri (60'), Zabaleta (86')

Preview: Roma vs. Manchester City

Sports Mole looks ahead to the winner-takes-all Champions League Group E game between Roma and Manchester City on Wednesday night.

Group E is the only one of the eight Champions League groups where all four teams can still progress going into the sixth and final matchday.

Bayern Munich have already been confirmed as the group winners, but Roma, CSKA Moscow and Manchester City can all join the German giants as they go into Wednesday's games all on five points.

For Premier League champions City to progress, they have to beat Roma at the Stadio Olimpico and hope that CSKA do not produce a massive shock in Munich.

They will also go through with a score draw and CSKA defeat, but a loss of their own would see them eliminated from Europe altogether.

A win for Roma would send them through, while a draw will be good enough if Bayern and CSKA also ends level. If Bayern beat CSKA as expected, a goalless draw will do for Roma, but not a score draw.

City will be without their star striker Sergio Aguero after he limped out of Saturday night's Premier League match against Everton in tears. The Argentine is expected to miss around a month of action with a damaged ligament in his knee.

His absence will be missed by Manuel Pellegrini, who will need goals from elsewhere after Aguero's hat-trick helped them complete a spectacular late comeback against Bayern two weeks ago.

That was the second game of City's current five-game winning streak and they come up against a Roma side who are unbeaten in five games.

Pellegrini might have to make do without captain Vincent Kompany, who is struggling with a hamstring injury, as well, while Yaya Toure serves the second of a three-match ban.

David Silva and Stevan Jovetic are also doubts and that could put plenty of pressure on Edin Dzeko, who only made his return from injury at the weekend, to score for City.

The Giallorossi from the Italian capital would have been in pole position to qualify in second had they not conceded an injury-time equaliser to CSKA on the last matchday.

Saturday's come-from-behind 2-2 draw against Sassuolo in Serie A was the first time that Rudi Garcia's side have dropped points at home in the league this season.

Although that might give City a lift, recent records suggest that Roma have the edge going into the match - the Italian side have won five of their last seven home meetings against English clubs, while City has never won a European game away from home in Italy.

The reverse fixture on matchday two finished as a 1-1 draw at the Etihad.

Roma:

Form in Champions League: WDLLD
Form in all competitions: LWWDWD

Possible starting lineup: De Sanctis; Florenzi, Manolas, Astori, Cholevas, Nainggolan, De Rossi, Keita, Gervinho, Totti, Ljajic

Man City:

Form in Champions League: LLDDLW
Form in all competitions: DWWWWW

Possible starting lineup: Hart; Zabaleta, Demichelis, Mangala, Clichy; Fernando, Fernandinho; Navas, Nasri, Milner; Dzeko

Sports Mole says: 2-2


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Yaya Toure of Manchester City slots home from the penalty spot to open the scoring in the Premier League match against Everton at the Etihad on December 6, 2014
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