City
face the prospect of falling 10 points behind Premier League leaders United
ahead of the match with Liverpool tomorrow if Sir Alex Ferguson’s team win
at Fulham this evening.
But with United due to play the first leg of their last-16 tie against Real in
the Bernabeu on Feb 13, Mancini believes that the distraction of tackling
the Spanish champions will offer City the chance to close in on their
neighbours.
“They [Real Madrid] are two important games for United,
so I think that February and March could be the time when it’s possible to
decide this championship,” Mancini said.
“In every championship, no team has ever won the title in January and I think
that, when we arrive at the end of February, the gap will be very, very
small. If United have a lead of seven, eight or nine points in April, it
could be difficult, but in this moment, we have a big chance.
“Every team during the season has two or three weeks when they don’t play
well, when their performances go down and they don’t score. It could be the
same for them [United] now.”
Source: telegraph