Both Manchester City and Roma will be coming into this International Champions Cup match keen on further improving their pre-season results. As coaches Manuel Pellegrini and Rudi Garcia seek to prepare their men for their respective upcoming domestic, they will definitely want to see some improvements, despite both sides having won their most recent games.
City finished as runners-up in the Premier League behind Chelsea and have kicked things off in Australia on a solid note, having beaten local sides Adelaide United and Melbourne City 2-0 and 1-0 respectively. Roma, on the other hand started off sluggishly, losing to Hungarian outfit Gyirmot Gyor, but were able to edge out Real Madrid on spot-kicks in their opening ICC clash after being unable to find the back of the net in regulation time.
This will be third meeting between the Citizens and the Giallorossi, with their first duo occurring during the 2014/2015 edition of the Champions League. The first game, played on September 30th finished as a 1-1 draw between the two sides and was a special day for talismanic captain Francesco Totti as he became the oldest-ever goalscorer in club football's most prestigious tournament three days after his 38th birthday. However, despite the setback, Manchester City were able to rally back and defeat the Lupi at the Stadio Olimpico less than three months later, securing their spot in the knockout stages where they were again undone by eventual winners Barcelona.
Both sides have seen some faces come and go, but Pellegrini's side have by far made the most notable - and perhaps controversial, depending on what team you support - acquisitions. After months of wrangling, Liverpool starlet Raheem Sterling finally made his sought-after switch to the Etihad for a whopping £49 million. He would soon be followed by Aston Villa's Fabian Delph, who appeared to have committed - at least in public - his future to the Villains only to make a £8 million move just days later. Meanwhile, Roma fans will be pleased that the co-ownership deal for star midfielder Radja Nainggolan was resolved last month, with the capital club reportedly paying Cagliari €9 million to keep the Belgian at the Stadio Olimpico.
Certainly, many eyes will be on what should be an exciting fixture, with Sterling set to make his debut as per his new coach:
"Raheem has worked with us for three days… he will play also some minutes," he mentioned in a pre-match press conference.
"I know him because I played against him the last two seasons and I think he's a very young player with a lot of ambition. That for me is very important."
Due to the match being played in Australia, the game, which is set to kick-off at 6.00 EST could be a tad early for some viewers. However, expect many eyes - Manchester City, Roma, and perhaps a few irritated, yet curious Liverpool supporters - to be on this one.
Make sure you do not miss out on the third rumble between last season's second-best sides in England and Italy by bookmarking our Manchester City vs. Roma page for all your viewing information for wherever you call home.
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