Mario Balotelli
Mario Balotelli will not feature in the match-up. Reuters

After being sent off against Arsenal yesterday and reportedly set to be sold by Manchester City in the summer, Mario Balotelli could do with some good news. And he may take solace today in the praising words of prostitute Jenny Thompson, with whom the Italian striker has admitted to having a brief fling with behind his girlfriend's back.

The 23-year-old call girl first came to attention in 2010 after she claimed that she had been paid by Wayne Rooney for sex, while his wife Colleen was pregnant.

Discussing the two soccer stars, Thompson said that while Rooney looks set to pip Balotelli to the Premier League title with Manchester United, there was no comparison between the two in the bedroom.

Wayne may be the better footballer but when it comes to performance off the pitch Mario beats him in every way, she said, according to the Sun.

Mario has a fantastic body and knows exactly how to satisfy a woman. I'd give him a 9.5 out of 10 for the sex.

Mario is funny, intelligent and a gentleman in the bedroom. He's a brilliant kisser.

According to Thompson the pair met in February when Balotelli pulled up alongside her and a friend in his Bentley at a stop light, according to the Sun. They then went on to enjoy a six-week relationship.

Balotelli admitted the affair earlier this month through his agent. He said that the fear of the story leaking had weighed heavily on his shoulders.

I know I must still learn to keep my private life separate from my profession, Balotelli said, according to the Daily Mail. It's not easy, but I have taken this step to free me from the weight of this story.

Balotelli has been dating Italian model and TV personality Raffaella Fico since May.