The National’s Sport cover for the Thursday, January 22 issue, featuring Manchester City and their 2-0 international club friendly win over Hamburg on Wednesday in Al Ain.
Man City stars such as Sergio Aguero, Edin Dzeko and Frank Lampard all featured for the Premier League champions in their defeat of the Bundesliga side, delighting their UAE fans.
Covering the match, John McAuley writes:
“In truth, there was already enough talent on show to whet the appetite. City began with Edin Dzeko, Aleksandar Kolarov, Stevan Jovetic and Frank Lampard in their line-up and would later call upon Pablo Zabaleta and Gael Clichy: all established members of a squad that sits second in England’s top tier.
“So City made “home” advantage count. More arduous assignments lay in wait – Middlesbrough in the FA Cup on Saturday and then Premier League leaders Chelsea the following week – but, for the most part, this would have ticked the boxes.
“Manuel Pellegrini, the City manager, appeared to agree, arriving on the pitch at full-time. No doubt, he was content in the knowledge his side are ready for what should be an exciting conclusion to the 2014/15 campaign.”
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