Roberto Mancini has hit back at claims from Manchester City's Champions League rivals that the club have indulged in financial foul play in this season's tournament.

The Italian has become irritated by repeated public outbursts from Bayern Munich president Karl-Heinz Rummenigge and his Napoli counterpart, Aurelio Di Laurentiis, in the build-up to Wednesday night's decisive round of Champions League group fixtures, which includes Manchester City's meeting with Bayern at the Etihad Stadium.

Rummenigge wants City to be banned from Europe if they fail to comply with Uefa spending guidelines, while Di Laurentiis has hinted that City's owner, Sheikh Mansour, will intervene in an attempt motivate Villarreal to overcome Napoli. If the Italians fail to win in Spain and City beat Bayern, Mancini's side will progress.

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

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