Manuel Pellegrini believes Manchester City could yet win the Champions League despite his team claiming only two points so far in the group phase.
City host CSKA Moscow on Wednesday evening requiring victory to retain control of their own destiny, with Roma two points ahead in second place.
Pellegrini said: “There are teams that qualify with few points and then after that they won the Champions League. Of course 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 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.”
Despite patchy form at the Etihad Stadium where this season City could only draw with Roma, Pellegrini denied the club is unsure on home turf in the competition.
“No, I don’t agree with that conclusion. We have to play three games more,” he said. “This year, all the games we had to play against big teams, we didn’t lose in one of them. We drew with Chelsea and Arsenal in the league, we beat Tottenham and Man United. We have to finish the qualifying [stage] and then we can make all the conclusions and analyse what happened with this team in Champions League.”
The manager said Aleksandar Kolarov will be out for a month because of the injury he suffered in Sunday’s pre-derby warm-up, though Eliaquiam Mangala is available.
Pellegrini said: “Mangala has just stiffness in his thigh so he is in the squad list. Kolarov has an important muscle injury in his calf so he will be at least one month. Well, I am not a doctor but I suppose that. Frank [Lampard], I think he will be fit next week.”
