Manuel Pellegrini was in a fine mood after seeing his team of expensive stars defeat CSKA Moscow last night 5-2 at the Etihad to take City through to the knockout stage of the Champions League.
City failed in the previous two seasons under then manager Roberto Mancini to advance from the group stage, but now under the guidance of Pellegrini there is a feeling that they could make it to the finals.
“I think we can beat any side now, when we play at our best,” Pellegrini said.
“I think the most important teams in Italy, Spain and France are competitive, so we will see where we go now.
“We have a strong team and the minimum target was to qualify for the next round, but it is not our only target.
“We have a strong squad and we will see who we will play in February, but I can assure you that, whoever we draw, they will not be very happy to play against us.”
The Chilean admits that it was important for the club to make it to the knockout round.
“We are very happy because this is an achievement in the history of the club,” Pellegrini continued.
“You can see from the last two years it is not easy, and yet two games before the end, we are in the round of 16, and that is great for the fans and the whole club.
“For now, of course we are going to try and top the group. It is important to try and do that, and we will keep trying to the end to get above Bayern.”
