London, Feb. 7 : In a bid to realise his club''s Champions League aspirations, Manchester City boss Roberto Mancini has introduced saliva tests for its players.

The latest sports science technique embraced by the forward-thinking Mancini is set to leave his Premier League rivals spitting mad - literally.

The entire first-team squad now use the saliva hormone tests so Mancini and his backroom team can keep tabs on their well-being, a new technique which tracks the anabolic and catabolic state of their bodies once a week, News of the World reports.

The Blues'' new approach follows that of neighbours Manchester United.

Recently, a urine bank was opened at Manchester United’s Carrington training base, where the likes of Wayne Rooney and Ryan Giggs are tested before and after training for analysis. (ANI)