Joe Hart expects Mario Balotelli to give Manchester City an extra edge after facing the striker in training. The 20-year-old Italian marked his debut by rising from the bench to score the winner in the 1-0 victory over Timisoara in the first leg of their UEFA Europa League play-off last night. The goal - a deft finish from close range - puts City firmly in the driving seat for the group stage, with the return game at Eastlands on Thursday.

Balotelli's UEFA registration was only confirmed the day before the match following his arrival from Inter Milan. Even though he has been at the club only a matter of days, Hart has already been tested.

"He has a great touch and a hell of a right foot, which is interesting to train against," said the England goalkeeper. "He certainly announced himself. He had a couple of chances but it was good for him to get that first goal out of the way."

He certainly announced himself. He had a couple of chances but it was good for him to get that first goal out of the way.
Manchester City goalkeeper Joe Hart on team-mate Mario Balotelli's match-winning performance againstTimisoara

Balotelli limped off near the end and Roberto Mancini will monitor his fitness ahead of the home match against Liverpool on Monday. "We do not think it is serious," the City manager revealed. "It was probably just a kick, it is not a problem."

City improved in the second half after a slow start, with Yaya Toure rattling the post before Balotelli scored an important away goal. "They were a hard team to break down and we had to be patient," Hart said. "They had an 11-man wall beyond the halfway line but we got there in the end."

Shoulder treatment for Shay
While Hart and the rest of the group returned home following the match, Shay Given, the man he has replaced in City's first two games of the season, was heading to Munich on his own. The Republic of Ireland international was seeing a specialist in Germany after leaving Timisoara on an early-morning flight.

Given told the club's fans at the airport he was having further treatment on his shoulder. He needed an operation after dislocating it in April in the 0-0 draw against Arsenal. City have kept two clean sheets under Hart going into the match against Liverpool, following the draw with Tottenham Hotspur last weekend.

"Touch wood this will continue in the next game," said Mancini. "It is important. We need time to improve and time to play together."

England midfielder James Milner is set to make his debut against Roy Hodgson's side after completing his protracted move from Aston Villa on the eve of the Europa League match. The 24-year-old is the club's sixth high-profile signing of the summer as they attempt to clinch a place in the UEFA Champions League.

Jerome Boateng, Aleksander Kolarov, David Silva, Yaya Toure and Balotelli have all joined the City revolution. However, Boateng (knee) and Kolarov (ankle) are again ruled out through injury after sitting out the match in Romania.