Source: Daily_Mail
Roberto Mancini eyeing Europa League glory with Manchester City
Eyes on the prize: City manager Mancini[LNB]Manchester City manager Roberto Mancini believes the Europa League is now 'a great competition.' [LNB]The Italian feels his team will have to be at their best if they are to win it and end a 35-year trophy drought. [LNB]City face a crucial week in their quest for silverware, as Mancini leads the team out to Ukraine ahead of their meeting with Dynamo Kiev in the first leg of the last 16. [LNB]Then on Sunday they have a home tie against Championship side Reading with a place in the semi-finals of the FA Cup at stake. [LNB]Anticipation is beginning to rise among City fans, who last saw their team secure a major trophy in 1976 when the League Cup was lifted. [LNB]Dynamo stepped down from the Champions League after losing to Ajax in the play-offs before the group stage and Mancini said: 'The Europa League is a great competition. Thereare big teams in it. You can get to the quarter-finals and meet an important team. [LNB]'There are a lot of well-known sides in the competition. All the teams we can play usually play in the Champions League. It is a little Champions League. All the teams are bigones.'[LNB] Mancini would love two trophies as well as a place in the Champions League next season but knows it will be tough. [LNB]He said: 'We will try to reach the final if it is possible, both in the Europa League and the FA Cup. It depends on our players recovering their strength.'[LNB]Spanish forward David Silva is only too aware of the difficulty facing City at the Valeriy Lobanovskiy Stadium. [LNB]He played and scored there in the 2009 UEFA Cup but Valencia went out on the away goals rule. [LNB] Same again: City star Silva (right) has already scored against Dynamo Kiev during his time as a Valencia player[LNB]Silva recalled: 'It's a difficult place to go to. We got a 1-1 draw so we didn't do too badly. They're a difficult team and at their stadium it's very tough but we're excited about our chances of going through.'[LNB] Dynamo have not lost in six UEFA home matches since a 2-1 Champions League group stage defeat by FC Barcelona in December 2009. [LNB]Mancini, however, enjoyed success as a player against the hosts during the 1999-00 season with his Lazio side winning 2-1 in Rome and 1-0 in Kiev. [LNB]Dynamo, who beat Metalurh Donetsk 2-0 at the weekend, lie second in the table, 12 points adrift of Shaktar Donetsk.[LNB] FIFA tell Toure he should have had diet pill checked by Man City's doctorsPSG consider making ?4m summer offer for Man City reject Wright-PhillipsSilva warns Manchester City's title rivals: You ain't seen nothing yetMartin Samuel: Kolo Toure gave a slim excuse which carries little weightAll the latest Manchester City news, features and opinion[LNB]
