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Bayern vow to knock City off UCL race

Comment: 0 November 24th, 2011 by: admin

IN a loud, brave statement Bayern Munich told Champions League rivals Manchester City to expect nothing but lethal competition from them in their upcoming showdown.

Leading in the Group phase, the German powerhouse currently lead third-placers City by a staggering 6 points.  Already certain of their last 16 spot after defeating Villarreal 3-1, Bayern have sworn to take City completely out of the running before Christmas.

‘We are still going to try and win in Manchester,’ said Bayern chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge.  ‘First of all, there are points for the five-year ranking at stake, and then there are €800,000 to the winner.

‘We are not going to give anything away,’ the chairman asserted.

The teams’ last encounter in the Champions League competition saw Bayern beat City 2-0 in a match that famously featured Carlos Tevez’s refusal to come in as a substitute.

That match had Rummenigge praising the team gleefully, and commending the coaching efforts of Josef Heynckes.

‘After winning such a tough group, all you can do is pay a compliment to the team and the coach,’ said the chairman.  ‘The team did what we expected in that they won again.’

For City, hobbling after a 2-1 defeat to Napoli last Tuesday, the faceoff against Bayern is massively critical.

Manager Roberto Mancini however said that while their chances of advancing are not ideal, there are other options for them in their hunt for silverware.

‘I think we have a 30 percent chance of going through,’ he admitted.  ‘But if we don’t, we will make do with the Europa League.

‘Our life does not finish if we don’t go through.  I’m disappointed with the result but not the performance.  We conceded two very bad goals but I think we played quite well.’

Although their October match with Napoli ended in a 1-1 stalemate, Bayern remain undefeated in the Champions League competition.

In the group stage, City have so far won 2 matches, had 1 draw and lost 2.

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