Manuel Pellegrini: 'Manchester City's Champions League hopes still alive'

Manchester City manager Manuel Pellegrini has dismissed suggestions that his side are lacking confidence ahead of their "very, very important" clash against CSKA Moscow this evening.

The Citizens go into the game on the back of a morale-boosting 1-0 victory over city rivals Manchester United last time out, although their Champions League hopes currently hang by a thread.

Defeat at Bayern Munich was followed up by successive draws against Roma and CSKA, the latter of which saw Pellegrini's charges throw away a two-goal lead.

Asked if confidence is an issue right now, the City boss said: "I don't think so. Last year we were the club that qualified with the biggest amount of points [for a group runner-up] - 15 points. What happened this year in the three games of Champions League, we have time to arrange it and I am sure we are going to arrange it.

"I think it is a very important game but it is not a 'death' game because until mathematics can't fix [it], you can continue. We must win this game because we have just two points and we have three games to play and it is very important to have more points. But we will consider it not a final game but a very, very important game."

City trail second-placed Roma by two points with three games left to play.