At 2:45 p.m. Manchester City and Bayern Munich, two teams that are 1-0 in Group D play and both beat their opponents 3-0, will square off on Manchester City's backyard in a match that can be live streamed here.
Today's affair will be hotly contested, especially considering the personal rivalry Manchester City coach Manuel Pellegrini has with Bayern boss Pep Guardiola. Their battles date back to when Guardiola headed Barcelona, twice topping Pellgrini at Real Madrid during the 2009-2010 season.
Pellegrini is downplaying the personal vendetta aspect of today's clash. "It's always about the players. I don't play against Pep Guardiola. It is Bayern against Manchester City," Pellegrini said. "The key is always the performance of the important players. They must appear in important games and normally it's the key that makes the difference.''
Pellegrini underscored his insistence on keeping the focus on the pitch by effusively praising Guardiola. "Pep is a great manager and he's at a great club also. I know it's not easy for him to improve on what Bayern did last year but in some way he will give Bayern the characteristics of the teams he managed, the characteristics that he gave to Barcelona in his four years. We expect that from Bayern.''
Guardiola participated in the love fest as well, saying, "Manchester City are one of the biggest clubs in Europe. I think they have made big steps forward. The last two seasons they didn't get through first stage but I am 100 per cent confident they will get through to the next round. My impression is if they qualify, Manchester City will be one of the toughest teams in the next round."
Bayern win Arjen Robben recognized that Manchester City has spent their vast resources wisely and built a strong team. "They are not the only club with a lot of money in Europe," Robben said."
"You can't just buy quality, you have to build a team. Having enough good players will give you a chance of hitting the jackpot at some point. They have the potential to progress well this time.''
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