Pellegrini: League Cup could inspire City to further honours

Manuel Pellegrini believes success in the League Cup final could once again inspire Manchester City to Premier League title glory.

City take on Liverpool at Wembley on Sunday in an attempt to lift the trophy Pellegrini claimed during his first season in charge in 2013-14, courtesy of a 3-1 win over Sunderland.

They went on to pip Liverpool in a thrilling Premier League title race and will need a similarly inspired charge this time around after back-to-back home defeats against top two Leicester City and Tottenham Hotspur.

City put those setbacks behind them with a 3-1 victory against Dynamo Kiev on Wednesday, taking a decisive step towards the quarter-finals of the Champions League for the first time, and Pellegrini hopes this weekend can rekindle their efforts on the domestic front.

“It was a very important season,” Pellegrini said, reflecting on 2013-14 at a pre-match news conference.

“This season is different but to win one title in February, I think that gives you a lot of trust to continue fighting in the other competitions.

“We want to win and then we have to return to the Premier League. We have another thirty-six points to fight for and we are six points behind the leader.

“We will continue to fight until the end and to win this title would give us a lot of trust.”