Manchester City vs. Villarreal: Start Time and Schedule

Manchester City and Villarreal couldn't be off to more contrasting starts in their respective leagues. They are both, however, off to poor starts in Group A of the UEFA Champions League.

In what is arguably the toughest group there is, City has already fallen to Bayern Munich and played to a draw with Napoli.

Villarreal, on the other hand, has dropped both matches thus far without netting a single goal.

This is a problem and they'll need to fix it quick, as they visit the second highest scoring team in the English Premier League.

Both clubs need a win badly, and this match is sure to be worth watching.

Where: Etihad Stadium, Manchester, England

When: Tuesday, October 18, 2:45 p.m. EDT

Watch: ESPN2 Australia, Fox Soccer Plus, FoxSoccer.tv, Setanta Ireland, Sky Sports 1 Germany, Sportsnet World, SuperSport 7, SuperSport HD 2

Betting Line: Manchester City -303, Villarreal +725, Draw +375

Manchester City Key Injuries

Mario Balotelli—Working through a back injury, but should be back in time for the match.

Villarreal Key Injuries

Nilmar, FW—Out seven weeks after knee surgery.

Biggest Storyline: Goal Scoring

These two squads have a combined record of one goal for seven goals conceeded in four Champions League matches.

This is a huge problem, and is also a bit surprising.

City has tallied the second most goals in England behind only Manchester United. They feature a dynamic young scorer in Sergio Aguero, but he's yet to make his mark in Champions League play.

He and Edin Dzeko need to put their club on their backs and score goals early.

The same goes for Giuseppe Rossi and Nilmar of Villarreal. The duo is one of the best scoring tandems in the world, but Villarreal will be without Nilmar for several more weeks to come.

Rossi has to make something happen, or the depth of City will become a problem as the game wears on.

The first team on the board should be the team that wins.

Player to Watch for Manchester City: Sergio Aguero, FW

The young Argentine star has emphatically taken over for fellow Argentine Carlos Tevez. As Tevez's war with boss Roberto Mancini drags on, Aguero keeps notching in goals.

He's second to only Wayne Rooney in the Premier League and they trail their Manchester rivals by only one goal.

Aguero has been a big part of that and has teamed up very nicely with Dzeko.

Player to Watch for Villarreal: Giuseppe Rossi, FW

Villarreal's poor start in La Liga has a lot to do with their inability to score goals. Rossi accounts for nearly half of their output so far, and he only has three goals on 30 shots in six league games.

A year ago he put in 18 goals in La Liga and 32 throughout all competitions.

He has the ability to score in bunches and without Nilmar they need him to step up and be even better.

What They're Saying

Much has been made of the dissension surrounding the club at Eastlands. While much of it has to do with Carlos Tevez, Dzeko and Balotelli have caused a stir as well. Veteran Gareth Barry knows this is a problem and recently spoke out about his teammates exercising some patience (via ESPN):

"

It's important that players keep their focus and not get too disappointed when they're not playing. Everyone has got to stay together and be patient. That's going to be the key to success this season. When their chance does come, it's important they take it.

The club and the squad are still on a learning curve. It's our first real experience of this. It's our first season in the Champions League and we are looking to be going on long cup runs as well. The players and the whole club are adapting to it and I'm sure we can have a great season.

"

It is hardly a surprise that some of this team isn't happy.

They could be their own worst enemy this season if they don't heed Barry's words. 

Prediction: Manchester City 2, Villarreal 0