SHOCK RESULT: City lost their place at the top of the league after being defeated 2-0 by Stoke last weekend. PHOTO: AFP
MANCHESTER: Manchester City defender Eliaquim Mangala has challenged his team to end a mixed week on a high by regaining top spot in the Premier League.
Last weekend's miserable defeat at Stoke dropped Manuel Pellegrini's side to third, yet they responded with a flourish to beat Borussia Monchengladbach 4-2 in the Champions League to finish top of their group.
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As a result, things are looking up for Pellegrini's side once more after a poor recent run of league form, with just four points from their last four games.
With confidence raised again, a home match against manager-less Swansea on Saturday offers a clear opportunity to regain domestic momentum.
“That's a game we have to win because we want to get back to the top of the table as quickly as possible,” said Mangala, whose club can replace Leicester in first place if they beat Swansea as the leaders and second-placed Arsenal don't play until later in the weekend. “We know we can beat most teams when we are at our best.”
City's stumbling Premier League title challenge has not been helped by a long list of injuries this season, although Pellegrini has been at pains to play down suggestions that he is over-reliant on skipper Vincent Kompany and striker Sergio Aguero.
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His team did at least prove on Tuesday that they can be prolific without Aguero, who continues to struggle with a heel injury sustained against Southampton two weeks ago.
Defensively, however, City look vulnerable without Kompany, who has not played for more than a month because of a calf problem.
The centre-back has missed six matches, and his team have not kept a clean sheet in any of them; a remarkable contrast to the side who did not concede in any of their opening five matches when Kompany and Mangala played together at the back.
That poor defensive record may at least give hope to a Swansea side who sacked Garry Monk on Wednesday after a run of just one win in 11 league matches.
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Saturday's fixtures
Norwich v Everton, Crystal Palace v Southampton, Manchester City v Swansea, Sunderland v Watford, West Ham v Stoke, Bournemouth v Manchester United.
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