Hughes looks for seniors to shine

Mark Hughes has called on his senior stars to lead from the front as Manchester City aim to make further progress in Europe by beating Aalborg tonight.

City will book a quarter–final berth if they can account for a third Danish outfit in the competition, having already overcome Midtjylland and FC Copenhagen.

But Hughes is aware Aalborg – who dropped into the UEFA Cup from the Champions League – represent a significant step up in standard.

And he feels the experience provided by European stalwarts such as Shay Given, Wayne Bridge and Pablo Zabaleta can be a key factor in City's bid for glory.

"As a group we are a little bit light in European experience," said Hughes.

"But the senior guys need to lead from the front and help players who have not quite reached the same level."