Manuel Pellegrini has insisted that Manchester City’s future does not depend on reaching the Champions League knock-out stages.
City must beat Roma in Italy on Wednesday evening and better CSKA Moscow’s result against Bayern Munich if they are to progress to the next round of the competition, but they must do so without talisman Sergio Aguero.
The Argentine striker has been ruled out of action with a knee injury which he suffered in the 1-0 win over Everton on Sunday.
Pellegrini, who has been under pressure this season has played down the importance of reaching the last-16 though and said City’s future does not depend on it.
“Aguero’s recovery will depend on the first weeks,” he told reporters.
“It’s an important stage right at the beginning. But, as I said, our team doesn’t depend on a single player and I hope my players can prove it.
“I think we will qualify but it has nothing to do with my future here. I never received any pressure from the club.
“We started with a target of trying to qualify for the last 16.
“We have a good squad but made a lot of mistakes in other games, especially against CSKA.
“Against Bayern we showed we are fighting to qualify and I am sure we will do it if we play a good game. It’s very important for the club to play in the next round.”