English Premier League champions Manchester City hosts Borussia Dortmund at the Etihad stadium for their second match in the group stage of this year's Champions League.
Reuters / Phil NobleManchester City manager Roberto Mancini will look to have his club focused and mentally prepared for their match against German champions Borussia after looking very inconsistent in their last five matches in all competitions.
After a disappointing loss to Real Madrid, Manchester City needs to have a positive result in this match or risk leaving the competition in the group stage. Last season, Manchester City failed to advance to the knock-out stages, as did Dortmund. Both teams are reigning champions of their respective domestic leagues, but both have had less than solid starts to their seasons.
To bolster a midfield that has been inconsistent at times, Manchester City will welcome back midfielder Jack Rodwell- he suffered a groin injury before their 4-2 defeat by Aston Villa in the Capital One League Cup, which forced him to miss the past two matches.
Unfortunately, questions still remain about City's back line, with the absence of Brazilian defender Maicon, who has a heel injury, and right-back Micah Richards, who is recovering from an ankle injury. They will surely be missed on the field.
Dortmund is entering this match in great position in the group, and is putting up solid performances in their domestic league after being the dominant club in Germany the last two years. Dortmund is currently in third place and is seven points behind Bayern Munich, who has yet to lose a match this season.
Dortmund was able to gain a full three points when they surprised Ajax in a 1-0 victory over the Dutch team. Should Dortmund be able to gain a win today, they would almost be certain to advance to the next round behind Real Madrid.
Kickoff for the match is at 2:45 EDT and can be seen online here.
809
