City on course – Mancini

MANAGER Roberto Mancini sees no reason to alter his prediction that Manchester City will be one of the top teams in Europe within two or three years.

City qualified for the Champions League for the first time last night thanks to their 1–0 win over Tottenham at Eastlands.

It opens the door to yet more adventure at a club that has been transformed by owner Sheikh Mansour over the last three years.

And with a place in Europe's elite on offer, even better players can be expected over the summer.

"When I arrived here I said in two or three years Manchester City will become one of the top teams in Europe," Mancini said. "We have everything to do this.

"This is the first time (in the Champions League) and we have got it because the players wanted it. We have the players who deserve to play in it."

There is little time to celebrate the joy of Peter Crouch's own goal as City must be ready to face Stoke on Saturday in their first FA Cup final for 30 years.

And while Mancini will give skipper Carlos Tevez every chance to prove his fitness, he knows he cannot be 100 per cent after being introduced for the last few minutes against Spurs following a five–week absence with a hamstring injury.