Blues closing in on Euro elite

MANCHESTER City manager Manuel Pellegrini believes the club are close to taking a significant step forward in their bid to join Europe’s footballing elite.

City have won the FA Cup and the Premier League since the 2008 Abu Dhabi-funded takeover that transformed their fortunes and making an impact on the continent is their next objective.

After exiting at the group stage of the Champions League in each of the past two seasons, City are now potentially within 90 minutes of reaching the last 16 for the first time.

Victory over CSKA Moscow in their latest Group ‘D’ fixture at the Etihad Stadium would be enough to secure their route through if Bayern Munich also avoid an unlikely defeat to minnows Viktoria Plzen.

Pellegrini accepted qualification as a minimum requirement when he took charge of the club in the summer and recognises its importance.

He said: “For Manchester City it would be a great achievement. We all know what happened the last two years – they couldn’t get to the round of 16. For a club that is trying to grow every day, to go to the next round is very important.”

City beat CSKA 2-1 when the sides met in the Russian capital a fortnight ago.

One change since then is that Joe Hart has been deposed as number one goalkeeper