Mancini: Bayern's digs at City caused by fear and envy

Roberto Mancini has dismissed Manchester City's growing number of critics as being "afraid" of what the powerful club can become.

And the Blues boss insisted his side will show why that fear is justified if they can somehow conjure a passage through to the knock out stages of the Champions' League.

City have come under a two-prong attack from their European rivals this week, with Bayern Munich chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge hugely critical of the English club's spending, suggesting he even hopes they are dumped out of the competition.

And that feeling was echoed by Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis, who launched a scathing attack on City and their owner Sheikh Mansour, who is using the English club - he claimed - as "a toy", and even hinted at suspicions of match-fixing.

Mancini though, is becoming increasingly annoyed about those wide-ranging attacks, and yesterday, he argued they are based purely on fear and envy at what his talented City side can achieve.

The Italian boss knows his team need a near miracle to pip Napoli in their group for second place behind Bayern, but he is convinced if they can do that, then they will be infused with the belief and quality to go on and win the Champions' League.

"I think every team is worried about Manchester City now, because already - and certainly in the future - we are a team that could be one of the top clubs in the world," Mancini argued.

"Napoli want us out, but Bayern want us out too and all the other top clubs will be hoping we go out of the Champions' League because they fear what we can achieve.

"We are facing a difficult situation in our group, we have only perhaps a 30 per cent chance, but if we go through we will be a big problem for the others teams.

"If we can get through this then it will be an important moment. We are progressing, and we have a lot of good players - can we win the trophy? We have to get through first and then we will speak, but the other clubs will be hoping we are out."

City's brazen spending has made them a target for much jealously, and much criticism, from even some of the wealthiest teams across Europe.

There is a sense at Eastlands of the rest ganging up to undermine them, and that feeling wasn't helped this week by Manchester United's decision to allow Bayern to use their training ground after tonight's crucial showdown.

Rummenigge's criticism are particularly stinging, because he is also chairman of the ECA, the European Clubs' Association, which represents the interests of the top clubs across the continent, and is seen as one of the most powerful voices in football.

But perhaps more hurtful are the comments of De Laurentiis, who not only claimed the Sheikh would turn his back on City if they got knocked out of the Champions' League, to "find another toy", but also hinted that the City owner would revert to match-fixing.

"I can feel strange things going on surrounding the Villarreal game - princes and sheikhs are getting agitated. To think about it would be evil, but sometimes you can guess what might be happening," the Italian said.

City need Villarreal to take points off Napoli to have any chance of progressing, but Mancini was outraged at the suggestion his owner would offer any incentives to the Spanish club, and instead argued it could backfire badly on the Italian club.

"Fortunately Sheikh Mansour is not Italian, and I don't think he is like this - so I can't think about this stupid situation," Mancini said.

"The Italian president has to respect Villarreal first, because they are a serious club, and they always play to win. And after, Sheikh Mansour is a very good man, who is not Italian."

Mancini knows that all the jibes will be irrelevant though, if his own side don't defeat Bayern tonight, and he will send out his side intent only on that objective.

Afterwards, he insisted, he will seek out Rummenigge, and ask the German face to face what his problem with the Eastlands club is.

"I don't understand Rummenigge's behaviour against ManchesterCity. For six months he talks against us, and he continues to say he hopes Napoligo through to the second stage," the Italian said.

"I don't know what's different with us. He talks of Financial Fair Play, but Manchester City are working for this FFP for the next two years. I simply don't understand what happening with Rummenigge. Tomorrow I will ask him.

"You don't want to see an important man like Rummenigge from a very big club, every time he says things against us. Because there are other teams in Europe that have a problem with Financial Fair Play, not only Manchester City."

Mancini has injury worries over Micah Richards, and Alex Kolarov is ruled out, but the Italian boss is still confident his side can progress, despite the odds against them.

"It is hard - this is the hardest group. But we have belief, I am very happy with the belief we have in the team. We have to beat Bayern first, that is the key, and then we can worry about the other result."

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BUT CLUBS WHO LIVE IN GLASS HAUSES SHOULDN'T THROW STONES

Bayern Munich are far and away the richest club in Germany.

Their commercial revenue for the 2009-10 season amounted to 172million euros, outstripping even the likes of Real Madrid, Barcelona and Manchester United.

The sum was more than twice the amount their nearest German rivals - Schalke - generated.

The Bundesliga is the best-supported football League in the world and Bayern's 69,000 capacity Allianz Arena is sold out for every German League game.

Bayern claim the most lucrative shirt sponsorship deal in Europe and are backed by German car group Audi and sportswear giants Adidas.

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MANCHESTER CITY v BAYERN MUNICH: PROBABLE TEAMS

Manchester City: Hart; Zabaleta, Kompany, Lescott, Clichy; Barry, Y Toure; Nasri, Silva, Milner; Aguero.

Bayern Munich: Neuer; Boateng, Badstuber, Van Buyten, Lahm; Luiz Gustavo, Tymoshchuk; Pranjic, Alaba, Ribery; Olic.

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MANCHESTER CITY v BAYERN MUNICH: THREE TO WATCH

Mario Gomez - The striker (if he has fully recovered from flu) will pose a stern test, having scored six goals already in the group stages - including two in the home game against City

Bastian Schweinsteiger - Elegant midfielder who was the scourge of England in our World Cup humiliation in South Africa. One of the most composed players in the European game.

Jerome Boateng - Would relish the challenge of taking on Mario Balotelli after the pair traded blows during a training session while City team-mates last year. The pair insist they have long since settled their differences.