Europa League preview: Manchester City v Lech Poznan
Hands up if you’d heard of Lech Poznan before they were drawn in the same group as Manchester City in this season’s Europa League. Now keep them up if you were shocked by their 3-3 draw with Juventus.
Artjoms Rudņevs was the name on the lips of most of the continent’s football fans when his astonishing hat-trick – capped by a sublime 93rd minute equaliser – stunned the Italian giants in Turin on Europa League Group A’s opening night, and after the Polish side’s 2-0 win over Red Bull Salzburg confirmed that they were more than just a flash in the pan, the side from western Poland enter their third game in the group ahead of big spending City and the world-renowned Juve at the top. Write them off at your peril, Vincent Kompany isn’t.
“I don't think we can afford to be arrogant towards any cup because we've not won any for a long time,” said Kompany. “So the Europa League is very important to us.
“The FA Cup will be just as important to us as the league because any trophy would be very welcome at the moment. We're working very hard towards winning something.
“The level is very high in this Europa League and any games in Europe give you experience. It's a competition we'd like to win.”
Despite that, Roberto Mancini will still ring the changes for the visit of the Poles – his squad is strong enough after all, even without Wayne Rooney in it yet – although one man who had expected to have the night off may still have to don the shirt.
“I will only decide on whether I rest Carlos Tévez after training,” said Mancini, “we will probably make changes because after the Europa League game we only have just over two days to recover for Arsenal, so we will make changes because of that. But we want to win on Thursday, it's an important game for us.
“We must see if Jô will be available, but most of the others are okay. Only Mario Balotelli, Aleksandar Kolarov and Kolo Touré are out, but probably are fine for the next game.
“We must concentrate on this game, because Poznan is a good side who played well against Juventus. They are a good football side, and we will have to play at our best. The Europa League is an important competition and we want to win trophies, there is a good chance to get to the final but we must focus. If we win, we will give ourselves a good chance of getting into the next round.”
They certainly will have done, as a victory would place City on seven points from nine available, and install them as firm favourites to win the group – with Juventus facing a make-or-break clash in Salzburg tonight. Lech won’t make it easy for them though.
Rudnevs provides their main attacking threat, but he’ll be backed up by Polish international Slawomir Peszko – who scored the second goal in the 2-0 win over Salzburg – and Colombian defender Manuel Arboleda, who scored the other. Despite their threat though, City should win.
Mancini’s men – or perhaps more pertinently, Mancini’s money men – view their assault on this season’s Europa League as a real chance to make a name for themselves on the continent as a force and much more than just a spending club – although signing Rooney might just change that.
On the pitch though, a slip up against unheralded Polish opponents simply isn’t on Sheikh Mansour’s agenda, and it won’t happen.
A City win, and another step towards European credibility. Who knows, maybe if Wayne’s watching it will be the final step?
Prediction: Manchester City 3 Lech Poznan 1
Tags: