• Champions League

Alonso warns City: You can't buy success

Bayern Munich midfielder Xabi Alonso has warned Manchester City they can't buy Champions League success.

The German champions have already qualified for the last-16 of the competition and can end City's own hopes at the Etihad Stadium, with Manuel Pellegrini's side having collected just two points from four games. City will be eliminated if they don't beat Bayern and there is a winner in the other Group E game between CSKA Moscow and Roma.

That would see them fail to make it out of their group for a third time in four seasons, with last season's first knockout round defeat to Barcelona representing their best effort in the competition - and a disappointing return for Sheikh Mansour's vast expenditure since his 2008 takeover.

Xabi Alonso featured in Liverpool's shock Champions League victory in 2005 © Getty Images

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But Alonso, who featured in Liverpool's shock victory in 2005, feels City will need more than just money to win the competition.

He said: "Football is not mathematics. There is not a determined formula that when you earn more you are buying success. Because of that you get big surprises in football.

"You have to do things properly and normally. If you do things properly you will reach success. What happened that year with Liverpool was a great surprise, a great miracle. I have talked about it many times, I enjoyed it. It is very different from what is going on at City right now.''

Alonso, who won the Champions League with Real Madrid last season but missed the final through suspension, has also warned Bayern against complacency tonight.

"Obviously City are in a difficult position but they have won the Premier League a couple of times," he added. "I am pretty sure this season they want to show their level and they want to go through.

"They have important players suspended but as a whole it is one of the best squads in Europe. It is hard to tell from the outside but you expect any season that City will make that impact in Europe. So far they haven't done it but I am pretty sure it is not far, that big year in Europe. Season by season they try to improve.

"It looks like a very serious project and competing with the other clubs in Europe is for sure one of their goals. Even though it looks a difficult situation for them, it could change in 90 minutes. We will have to do our job.''

Alonso, who celebrates his 33rd birthday today, is also looking forward to renewing acquaintances with Frank Lampard.

The pair were once fierce rivals at Liverpool and Chelsea, with a tackle from Lampard breaking Alonso's ankle in January 2005.

Alonso says that incident is now in the past and he will be pleased to come up against Lampard, who left Stamford Bridge last summer and is now on loan from New York City.

"It is going to be strange to play against him and not be playing Chelsea," said Alonso, who spent five seasons at Anfield. "He had a great career for Chelsea and he has been one of the most important players in the Premier League in the last years.

"We can enjoy it. We had competitive games in the league, Champions League, FA Cup, in semi-finals. We have had fewer ties [recently] but we have good relations and I wish him best of luck with his next stage. We are great competitors in football.''

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