Roma Proving They Aren't Pushovers in Champions League

Roma have picked up four points after two games in the Champions League thus far. They smashed CSKA Moscow 5-1 at the Stadio Olimpico before battling to a 1-1 draw versus Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium on Tuesday.

Group E is arguably the toughest group in the Champions League. However, Roma are proving that they are exceeding expectations and should be considered a top club, despite their three-season absence from the competition.

Sky Sports commentator Tony Gale implied during much of the broadcast that the capital club was inferior to City. Former Liverpool striker Michael Owen also backed the Premier League holders to convincingly defeat the Serie A runners-up.

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I wonder where Tony Gale thinks Roma would finish in the Premier League? #bias

— Kristian Jack (@KristianJack) September 30, 2014"

The official Manchester City Twitter account even took a shot at Roma and their captain, Francesco Totti, who ended up using the tweet as motivation to score the visitors' only goal.

Criticism and dismissal is often directed at Roma. They weren't even considered as Scudetto contenders entering the 2013/14 Serie A season, yet they finished second with 85 points, breaking a club record.

Some publications, such as The Guardian, tipped City and Bayern Munich to progress to the round of 16, but that's looking unlikely at this point.

Manager Rudi Garcia deserves most of the praise for Roma’s performance in Italy and in the Champions League. Garcia's side held Manchester City for most of the match, spearheaded by new signings such as Kostas Manolas and Mapou Yanga-Mbiwa.

What's even more impressive is that Roma earned a point despite several key injuries. City have had their issues in Champions League over the last few years, but credit to the Italians for a disciplined showing.

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Roma injury lineup: MDS, Balzaretti, Castan, Astori; Strootman, DDR, Ucan; Borriello, Iturbe.

— Julian of Martinis (@JulianDM11) September 30, 2014"

Sporting director Walter Sabatini also deserves some accolades. La Maggica said goodbye to star centre-back Mehdi Benatia this summer, who replaced the brilliant Marquinhos, and now Manolas and Yanga-Mbiwa have filled in brilliantly for the Moroccan.

Sabatini has shown that he can build a competitive squad that can successfully compete in the Champions League and in Serie A.

However, it's still early days. Roma have two difficult games against Bayern, which will be a test of their resilience. Even if the Giallorossi only gain a point from the two matches, they'll still be in good shape to qualify out of Group E.

Maurizio Lagana/Getty Images

According to WhoScored.com, Bayern have the second-highest amount of possession at 67.4 percent and record about eight shots on target per match. Yet the Bavarians have only scored twice in two matches.

Benatia has looked shaky in his short time with Bayern, Dante is slow, and the defence as a whole can be exposed. The likes of Gervinho and Totti will be salivating at the chance to run at the back line.

On the other hand, achieving a win will be very difficult, even with Bayern's deficiencies. If Roma can replicate what they accomplished against City, it's entirely possible for the capital side to pull off another upset.

Nonetheless, what's transpiring with the Italian club shouldn't be a surprise given how much they've progressed over the last year.