Manchester City manager Roberto Mancini has let his guard slip for the first time by admitting: “We have two fingers on the trophy.”
The Italian can put all ten fingers on the Premier League prize if his players beat Queens Park Rangers at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday. City are 14/1 to thrash Mark Hughes’ side 5-0 this weekend and are now 1/9 to win the Premier League title.
However, the cautious Mancini insists he will not allow any of his squad to think the job is over, and allow rivals Manchester United a last-ditch opportunity to steal the title from right under their noses. United are 6/1 to finish top.
We still have one more game, and it is a difficult game.
Roberto Mancini
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Mancini has long asserted the mantra United were favourites due to their favourable run-in, which ends at Sunderland’s Stadium of Light this weekend.
But the former Inter Milan chief insists: “We have two fingers, but it is not enough, because we still have one more game, and it is a difficult game. My feeling is good after the Newcastle result, and so is the feeling of the players, but we need to play QPR in that mood.
“They are playing to avoid relegation so it will be a tough game. I don’t know if we can win the league, but it is in our hands. If we beat QPR we will probably win it. We have managed to keep the players’ feet on the ground – we did it before the United game, and we did it last week before Newcastle.
“We won’t change anything because if we don’t keep our concentration and prepare well for the game it will end up being very difficult. We don’t have pressure. Leading up to the Newcastle game, maybe we had some pressure, but not now, because we just need to play one game like we did at Newcastle.”
QPR are currently 9/4 to be relegated this season.
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