/Champions League is Manchester City’s Priority

Champions League is Manchester City’s Priority

Manchester City will give high priority to Champions League than their FA Cup fifth-round game at Chelsea on Sunday, 21 February, says manager Manuel Pellegrini. City will visit Dynamo Kiev to play their first leg game of Champions League last-16 round on Wednesday, 24 February. Then after four days, they will face Liverpool in the Capital One Cup final at Wembley on 28th of this month. The Chilean said: “The preference is always the next match, but we must make something different due to a lot of injuries.”

Manchester City, who won the 2011 FA Cup final and two seasons of Premier League (2011-12 & 2013-14), are still competing in the four competitions Premier League, League Cup, FA Cup and Champions League. They have the fixtures of all four competitions in next 11 days between 21 February and 2 March. Pellegrini added: “Only 13 players are available to play and we have to play in the Champions League on Wednesday. We’ll see the best available team we can play on Sunday.”

“I always try to play with a powerful side in every competition, because all the games are important but we need to more focus on the Champions League,” says Manchester City boss. Chelsea, who are currently 12th in the Premier League, bore a 2-1 defeat in their Champions League first-leg game at Paris Saint-Germain on Tuesday. Interim boss Guus Hiddink, who lifted the FA Cup trophy at Chelsea during his previous spell in charge in 2009, said: “We have a serious strategy for the FA Cup tie with City.” Their captain John Terry has been ruled out of the game due to injury.