The Premier League leaders haven’t been able to mirror their domestic dominance in Europe, Tuesday’s 2-1 reverse at Napoli leaving them in serious trouble in Group A.
Third-placed City now need to beat Bayern at the Etihad Stadium on December 7 and hope Napoli fail to win at bottom side Villarreal, although it doesn’t look good as the Yellow Submarine have sunk to five defeats from five games so far. And any suggestion Bayern would go easy on City - the German giants have already qualified as group winners - were dealt a knee-high tackle by chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge.
“We are still going to try and win in Manchester,” he said. “First of all, there are points for the five-year ranking at stake, and then there are [$1 million] to the winner. We are not going to give anything away.”
The odds are certainly stacked against City and, should they finish third, they will have to content themselves with the ignominy of a place in the Europa League, Europe’s much-criticised second-tier competition.
However, captain Vincent Kompany insists his big-spending side can still progress to the knockout stages, claiming they’ll prove their worth by advancing from such a tough group. “It is by far the hardest group in the Champions League. It was never going to be easy and always a case of going to the last game,” he said. “I wouldn’t say qualifying is a miracle because all Villarreal need is a draw and Villarreal is a difficult away game.
“We’ve got to focus on our game and try to beat Bayern Munich. But it doesn’t matter what happens, we will have a lot to say in the Champions League or Europa League until the end of the competition.” Midfield enforcer Nigel de Jong echoed his skipper’s sentiments, adding that Napoli’s trip to southern Spain to meet pointless Villarreal is by no means a foregone conclusion.
“We still believe we can get to the next round. We don’t have our fate in our own hands anymore but we’re playing at home which is to our advantage,” the determined Dutch star said. “Let’s hope Villarreal can give us some help.”
Meanwhile, such trivialities don’t bother Bayern, who have set their sights much higher thanks to their brilliant form. Jupp Heynckes’ side, top of the Bundesliga, blew away Villarreal 3-1 at home to make it four wins and a draw in Group A.
And wing wizard Franck Ribery, scorer of two goals on Tuesday, has urged his side to do everything they can to reach the final at their Allianz Arena in May, saying: “I hope that we can play in the final in Munich. That would be a dream. We just have to keep our calm and keep playing so well and not have any fear.”
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