MANCHESTER // The bare facts are that Manchester City have yet to win a game in Europe this season. Their manager remains hopeful they could win the Uefa Champions League.
If it highlights the gap between City’s present problems and their lofty aspirations, Manuel Pellegrini feels there are grounds for optimism.
Tuesday’s game against CSKA Moscow could bring an effective end to their European campaign.
Pellegrini denies, though, that City have entered sudden death. He said he expects the group to be determined at Roma’s Stadio Olimpico in December and feels that, should his side progress, they have players with the ability to conquer the continent.
“It is a very important game, but it is not a death match because until it is [mathematically] impossible, you can continue,” he said.
“I think this group will be decided in the last game in Italy.
“Our target is always to try and win the Champions League. We must put in our mind that we are able to do it; that we have a good squad.
“Maybe there are also five or six squads better than our squad or the same level as our squad that also want to do it.
“But with a winning mentality and an ambitious mind, you must always think you can do it. I think we have time to prove it.”
The message is that if City get through the group stages, then anything becomes possible.
“There are teams that qualify with few points and then after that, they won the Champions League,” Pellegrini said.
The Chilean steered City into the knockout stages for the first time last season. A group-stage exit in this campaign would represent a setback, albeit one that Pellegrini refused to discuss.
“I don’t want to consider negative thoughts, so we can answer that in December,” he said, when asked how damaging it would be.
It bodes well that they beat CSKA Moscow 5-2 a year ago, if less so that they squandered a two-goal lead to only draw with the Russian champions.
It is a reason why they only have two points from their first three games, putting them two behind second-placed Roma in this most competitive of pools.
City host CSKA without their classiest player, David Silva, and their most experienced, Frank Lampard.
Aleksandar Kolarov has been added to the injury list, too, with the calf problem he sustained in the warm-up before Sunday’s 1-0 win over Manchester United sidelining the Serb until December.
The derby victory marked a return to form for Yaya Toure, but the midfielder was then racially abused on Twitter. Police are investigating, but Pellegrini is sure it will not affect the Ivorian’s performance.
“Yaya is an experienced player,” he said. “He is always trying to fight against [racism], but I don’t think he will have any problem about playing in the way he knows to.”
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