Champions League (I Love The Smell Of Europe In The Morning)

September 14 marked a very special day for Manchester City and its supporters. On this day, at the Etihad Stadium, Manchester City participated in their first Champions League game.

What are the chances that City can go all the way to the Final and win it? I think if you ask City fans, most will say, “If we can just get out of the Group, then who knows.”

So what about the Group? City have been placed in Group A, which consists of Bayern Munich, Villarreal and also newbies, Napoli.

Can the likes of Nasri, Aguero, Silva and Co. fend off Europe’s finest?

It will be a tough task, taking into account the inconsistent performances in the Europa League last season. However, things have changed since then. This City team are now a year more together and, possibly more importantly, they have won something!

So what are City’s chances?

Well, they certainly have been smiled on by lady luck, avoiding the likes of AC Milan, Real Madrid and Barca, of course. Also though, the way the fixtures have been set out have also dealt City a kind hand.

First up were Napoli, and the first game for both teams in Europe’s elite competition was on City turf. Despite only securing the draw in the opening game, City looked very good going forward and it seemed that nerves rather than the opposition were their biggest obstacle.

Another interesting statistic (as it stands) is City have home games in the Premiership before they then take on Champions League duties. Wigan, Everton, Villa, Wolves, Newcastle and Norwich all travel to City before they compete in a Champions League tie.

Indeed, it is not until City return to domestic duties that the pressure builds with away ties at three of the Big Four.

With the Spanish and Italian Leagues starting today there is no way to know what form these teams will be in this season. We know they will be tough, that is a certainty, and with Bayern already four games into their season with only one goal conceded, we know that City will need to get all the advantages they can and make them count.

Written By PA Cityboy