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Manchester City are through to the next round of the Champions League, defeating Roma 2-nil away from home minus some quality players.
City produce a professional performance when it truly counts and their great form continues.
Nasri very good tonight for City and he capped his great performance off with a great goal to open the scoring. Hart very good at the back for City.
Fernandinho very strong in midfield as well. Roma had their chances but could not convert and pay the price.
City certainly a team many top sides would want to avoid in the knockout stages.
FINAL SCORE:
Roma 0
Manchester City 2
Roma and Manchester City do battle for the right to progress to the last 16 of the UEFA Champions League. Join The Roar for live scores and commentary from 6:45am (AEDT).
After coming from behind to seal a 3-2 victory over Bayern Munich, a win for City tonight should secure them a place in the knockout stages of Europe’s premier club competition.
Standing in their way however is a talented Roma outfit that will fancy their chances of securing victory against a City outfit without acclaimed striker Sergio Aguero.
Aguero’s absence for this fixture is a huge blow to City. The Argentine has been in sensational form in recent weeks until he hobbled off early in the 1-nil win over Everton last weekend.
With Aguero out injured, it falls to the likes of Stefan Jovetic and Edin Dzeko to cause trouble against a suspect Roma defence.
The Serie A giants conceded seven goals against Bayern during the group stages in a 7-1 home defeat which deflated confidence. Roma play an entertaining brand of football at home but it does leave them vulnerable at the back – a fact City will no doubt try to take advantage of.
If Roma are allowed to dominate possession however, City will have their hands full trying to contain the likes of Francesco Totti, Gervinho, Adem Ljajic and Juan Iturbe.
Ljajic and Iturbe in particular are two very promising young footballers and possess the potential to wreck havoc against a City defence that could be without captain Vincent Kompany.
With plenty on the line, both teams should be expected to give their all in an intense game of football.
Had Aguero been fit to start, City would have started favourites, but without him on the paddock, a score draw appears a more likely result.
If a draw does eventuate, City’s Champions League ambitions will rest on whether or not Bayern can defeat CSKA Moscow. If the German champions can win that encounter, then City will most likely progress.
Prediction
Roma 2-2 City.