Pressure on Pelle to deliver

MANCHESTER City manager Manuel Pellegrini could be facing a day of reckoning.

His side tonight bids to salvage its season with a dramatic Nou Camp rescue act.

Pellegrini is fighting for his job as City head into the second leg of the Champions League last–16 clash against Barcelona and hope to overturn a 2–1 deficit.

Pressure on the Chilean has grown considerably in recent weeks as City’s hopes of retaining their Barclays Premier League crown have receded. His only chance of turning the tide is to engineer a famous victory over Primera Division giants Barca.

That prospect seems unlikely, given how much City were outplayed in the first leg, but Pellegrini was in bullish mood on the eve of the match.

He said: “There's no strange atmosphere at Manchester City. We're second in the Premier League, still

playing strong and are going to fight to prove it. It will be very important to prove we are one of the best teams in Europe. The only way is to beat a big team. That must be our mentality and this is our test.”