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Preview: Manchester City v Bayern

FC Bayern München have already sealed top spot in Group E but Manchester City FC boss Manuel Pellegrini is under no illusions about the task that awaits his team.

Manuel Pellegrini's team could be eliminated if they do not win
Manuel Pellegrini's team could be eliminated if they do not win ©Getty Images

City manager Manuel Pellegrini insists he does not feel under pressure to qualify
Pellegrini expects Bayern, who have won Group E, to play at full intensity
Clubs' fourth meeting in 12 months, with Bayern winning two to City's one
Bayern are 18 games unbeaten and have gone 329 minutes without conceding
Josep Guardiola says his side must play for honour

Permutations: Manchester City (2pts) v Bayern (12)
Bayern have won the group.
City must win or hope the early game between PFC CSKA Moskva and AS Roma finishes as a draw to remain in contention.

Possible lineups
Manchester City: Hart; Zabaleta, Kompany, Demichelis, Clichy; Navas, Fernando, Lampard, Milner, Nasri; Agüero.
Out: Džeko (calf), Fernandinho (suspended), Kolarov (calf/shin), Silva (knee), Touré (suspended)

Bayern: Neuer; Rafinha, Benatia, Boateng, Bernat; Alonso; Ribéry, Götze, Müller, Robben; Lewandowski.
Out: Alaba (knee), Badstuber (thigh), Martínez (knee), Lahm (ankle), Pizarro (thigh), Reina (calf), Starke (foot), Thiago Alcántara (knee)
Doubtful: Boateng (thigh)

Manuel Pellegrini, Manchester City manager
Bayern have injuries, so do we, but big teams have big squads with big names who can play well. I don't think that just because they have qualified they will play worse than they have so far. It will be a very tough game.

Alonso: 'Run less, think more'

We were unlucky to lose against Bayern in the last minute from a set piece. After that we conceded a late goal against CSKA. Maybe with those points our situation would be different, but we must be conscious of where we are now – what's happened in the past doesn't matter.

It's very difficult to compare one season with another. Last year they came here and played very well, winning 3-1, and after that we went to Munich and won [3-2]. The three games we have played against them have been very close, so tomorrow is another match and we will see which team plays better.

I don't feel there is any extra pressure. It's important for this club to do well in Europe; it's one of our targets, to improve every year. Tomorrow we will see the team fighting to the end to try and continue in the Champions League and I hope we will do it. I'm sure the team, plus myself, have a lot of faith that we can do it. I hope we will continue to have a chance until the last game.

Josep Guardiola, Bayern coach
Tomorrow we play in a great stadium in a country where football is very important and it's important we play our game and continue to develop and improve.

Ex-City man Jérôme Boateng and Franck Ribéry in training
Ex-City man Jérôme Boateng and Franck Ribéry in training©Getty Images

To play football we need tension, we need something to fight for. You need to be a little bit afraid to play football. From that point of view Manchester city are a little bit ahead of us. Tomorrow's game is more important for them than us. We have to defend our team, our club; we can't just be here for fun.

My opinion of Manchester City doesn't matter. Their position in the Champions League stays the same. We deserved to win our home game against them but we won it in the 90th minute. If that didn't happen my relaxed state would be different – we would be here to fight for qualification.

If they beat us and win in Rome then City will qualify. I know the coach at City and some of the players and I think they are capable of doing it, not just in the Champions League but also in the Premier League.

Weekend results
Manchester City 2-1 Swansea City AFC (Jovetić 19, Touré 62; Bony 9)
Bayern 4-0 TSG 1899 Hoffenheim (Götze 23, Lewandowski 40, Robben 82, Rode 86)

Form guide (all competitions)
Manchester City: WDLWLL
Bayern: WWWWWD

Match facts
• How many of their last nine home UEFA Champions League matches have City won? Find out in our extensive match background.

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