Manchester City are under pressure to get their UEFA Champions League campaign on the right track. In their opening match, the billionaires squandered a precious 2-1 lead at the Santiago Bernabeu as hosts Real Madrid came back to win 3-2. Against Borussia Dortmund, the Citizens did not quite get what they wanted. A last-minute penalty from Mario Balotelli salvaged a point for the English Premier League champions who are yet to claim victory in Europe.
They will be looking to increase Ajax’s woes on Matchday 3. The Dutch contenders suffered a harsh 4-1 loss to Real Madrid in the previous round of fixtures. According to coach De Boer, Ajax’s biggest guilt was their admiration for the opposition. The manager will be hoping that his men do not over-respect Roberto Mancini’s all-star team on Wednesday night.
The spotlight will be on striker Edin Dzeko. The Bosnia-Herzegovina international has made the most of the substitute appearances he’s made for Manchester City this season.
Last weekend, the former Wolfsburg player came off the bench to rescue the Citizens away to West Bromwich Albion. The scoreboard read 1-0 against the visitors until Edin Dzeko netted 80th and 90th minute goals. The hero of the match clearly revealed his annoyance at being used as a ‘super-sub’.
“I want to play,” he told reporters. Following last weekend’s stunning feat, the forward may make the cut in Roberto Mancini’s starting XI on Wednesday as Manchester City first team coach David Platt believes:
“We've got 24 players, four of them are on the treatment table, so we had a squad of 20 to pick from against West Brom.
“Edin came on and got his two goals and has put himself firmly in the manager's thoughts for Wednesday night [against Ajax]. But we will pick a team on what we think is right for Ajax and the one after that.”
Ajax’s last four matches
September 29, 2012: Ajax 1-0 Twente (Eredivisie)
October 3, 2012: Ajax 1-4 Real Madrid (UEFA Champions League)
October 7, 2012: Ajax 1-1 Utrecht (Eredivisie)
October 20, 2012: Heracles 3-3 Ajax (Eredivisie)
Manchester City’s last four matches
September 29, 2012: Fulham 1-2 Manchester City (English Premier League)
October 3, 2012: Manchester City 1-1 Borussia Dortmund (UEFA Champions League)
October 6, 2012: Manchester City 3-0 Sunderland (English Premier League)
October 20, 2012: West Bromwich Albion 1-2 Manchester City (English Premier League)
The table – Group D
| UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE: GROUP D 2012/2013 | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Real Madrid | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 3 | +4 | 6 | |
| 2 | Borussia Dortmund | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | +1 | 4 | |
| 3 | Manchester City | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 4 | -1 | 1 | |
| 4 | Ajax | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 5 | -4 | 0 | |
Facts
• Manchester City have won three of their last four matches in all competitions.
• Manchester City and Ajax are both yet to win a match in this season’s UEFA Champions League.
Prediction
Result: Ajax 1-3 Manchester City
