Manchester City vs. Roma: Key Issues That Will Shape Champions League Game

Manchester City won their most recent Premier League match and thereby climbed back to third in the league table. Ordinarily, that would be relieving, positive news.

But this is City we are dealing with.

The Sky Blues' attention now turns to AS Roma and a Champions League group-stage match at the Etihad Stadium of significant import for both clubs. 

Given the questions swirling around at City, though, they might have preferred to play this match in Italy—far from the madding crowd.

Here are five issues that are most certainly in play as City prepare to face Roma in the Champions League.

Goalkeeping

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Hart is back in the goal for City. For now.

You can feel free to call it a platoon situation in goal for Manchester City, as Joe Hart will be back in the XI against Roma.

"Willy Caballero, the Argentine goalkeeper signed for £6 million from Malaga in the summer, assumed his place in the team and did little wrong in his two outings but Hart will be recalled for what Pellegrini described as a 'crucial' fixture at the Etihad Stadium," wrote James McMath for The Guardian.

Hart was not involved in City's last two matches, a Capital One Cup win over Sheffield Wednesday and the weekend's Premier League triumph over Hull City.

The England No. 1 goalkeeper was excellent against Bayern Munich in City's 1-0 loss at the Allianz Arena in their Champions League opener, a hard-luck loser to Jerome Boateng's late strike.

The issue here is not who will start, as Manuel Pellegrini has installed Hart in goal for this match. The issue is how safe the ground is under Hart's feet. If Hart gives up a soft goal to Roma, will Pellegrini even stay with him for the remainder of this match?

As ever, when you have two starting goalkeepers, you don't really even have one.

Eliaquim Mangala

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Mangala's fortunes rise and fall like penny stocks.

"You're riding high in April, shot down in May," sang Frank Sinatra. Manchester City centre-back Eliaquim Mangala's recent fall took just a few days to accomplish.

Mangala was spectacular against Chelsea at the Etihad in a hard-fought draw. A week later, though, City were breached twice at Hull City and Mangala was at fault for both goals.

Reaction to Mangala's bad game has been typically muted and even-handed.

"Eliaquim Mangala’s calamitous display at the KC Stadium has left Manuel Pellegrini with a dilemma for Manchester City’s Champions League clash with Roma Tuesday night," wrote Chris Wheeler for the Daily Mail. 

"Now Pellegrini must decide if he can trust Mangala after his 10-minute meltdown at Hull, or recall Martin Demichelis to partner captain Vincent Kompany in central defence," Wheeler continued.

Nobody asked me, but there is really no decision here at all. City spent £32 million on Mangala to play in Champions League matches. Dropping him for this match would be plain foolish.

Frank Lampard

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Lampard certainly does not seem to have any qualms about his new life in sky blue.

Frank Lampard's sudden success at Manchester City has raised eyebrows around the Premier League.

Perhaps the greatest player in Chelsea history, the league seemed intent on consigning Lampard to that history. The Englishman had other ideas, though, signing on with New York City FC and accepting a loan assignment at Manchester City.

Had Lampard just filled a seat on City's bench and helped them stay in line with the home-grown player rules, Lampard's presence in Manchester would probably never have drawn much notice.

But Lampard has scored four goals in three games, and he is eligible to play for City against Roma in City's upcoming Champions League match. The same people who had little interest in Lampard's comings and goings before now have a lot to say.

Asked about Lampard's loan spell at City, Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger curiously observed that "(y)ou always have two judgements, one is moral and one is legal and it just depends what you consider," per Chris Davie of Goal.com.

"I don't really know what is behind all that. Was it always his plan to go to New York and go to Man City? I am not sure. I genuinely think he wanted to go abroad and to New York and [then] suddenly was offered this solution to come back to the Premier League and he took it," Wenger continued.

Maybe Wenger is just sorry he did not think of this gambit first.

Samir Nasri

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Nasri's dip in form is fairly easy to explain now.

Manchester City midfielder Samir Nasri has struggled in recent weeks. Now we know why.

"Nasri has undergone successful surgery on a groin injury as the Manchester City forward begins his recovery. Nasri was forced to go under the knife after Manuel Pellegrini revealed he was struggling to train," reported Richard Arrowsmith for the Daily Mail.

Nasri is set to miss up to a month, and he will therefore miss the match against Roma, as well as at least one of City's Champions League matches with CSKA Moscow.

This is troublesome for Pellegrini, since Nasri was one of the 21 players City were limited to name to their Champions League roster as part of the sanctions levied on City for Financial Fair Play indiscretions.

City are fortunate that, for now, both Edin Dzeko and Sergio Aguero are healthy. Nasri features most often when City play a lone striker with a five-man midfield, a formation Pellegrini is very unlikely to deploy against Roma.

Two Clubs, One Spot?

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Roma are flying these days.

Manchester City's loss to Bayern Munich in their first Champions League outing this season did not end City's quest to win Group E, but the climb out of that hole is almost impossibly steep.

While City were losing at Bayern, Roma were dismantling CSKA Moscow. The 5-1 result announced two bits of Group E news: CSKA Moscow have little chance to get out of this group and, more pertinent to City, Roma are a real threat to City's claim on either of the two qualifying spots from Group E.

"Roma have started 2014-15 with a perfect record, bagging six wins across Serie A and the Champions League in as many games," wrote Miles Chambers for Goal.com.

Roma manager Rudi Garcia was not shy about ratcheting up the heat on City in advance of this match.

"[City] have zero points and a lot of pressure on their shoulders, so they need to get a result on home turf," Garcia helpfully noted.

As if City boss Manuel Pellegrini could not count to zero.