Pellegrini confident of European success

Manager positive about City’s chances in Champions League group stage.

MANCHESTER:

New manager Manuel Pellegrini is confident of taking Manchester City to the knock-out phase of the Champions League for the first time.

City have failed to get out of the group phase in the past two seasons.

But they have been drawn with Bayern Munich, CSKA Moscow and Czech side Viktoria Plzen in this year’s group phase.

Pellegrini took unfancied Malaga through to the knock-out phase last season and feels that means there is no possibility of complacency.

The City manager, whose side face Hull in the Premier League today, said, “I think that all are difficult groups.

“Maybe one (team) has more history in the Champions League than other clubs but I’m sure last year when Milan knew that Malaga were in their group they were happy.

“We have a difficult group, we have chances if we play well because we have weaker teams.



“(Getting to the knock-out phase) is one of our targets. We have a difficult group and we will try to continue further in the Champions League than in other years.”

City have been heavily linked with a move for Atletico Madrid’s Argentina defender Martin Demichelis and the prospect of Toby Alderweireld moving to the Spanish club should speed that up.

Pellegrini is confident of making an addition before Monday’s transfer deadline and, despite many other managers complaining about the pressures of the transfer window, the Chilean is comfortable with the system.

“We will see before next Monday what we can do. We have some days to bring someone and we will see.

“There are a lot of names linked with Manchester City and it’s not my duty to answer all those names. We’ll see on Monday what happens.”

Published in The Express Tribune, August 31^st, 2013.

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