Real Madrid revenge not a motivation for Pellegrini

Manchester City manager Manuel Pellegrini insists the opportunity to take revenge on Real Madrid was not his primary focus following the draw for the semi-finals of the Champions League.

City were paired with the Spanish giants, who unceremoniously sacked Pellegrini in May 2010 after just one season at the Santiago Bernabeu, in Friday’s ceremony in Nyon.

Asked if he sees the tie as a chance to exact retribution on Madrid and their president Florentino Perez, he replied: “It’s not an extra motivation.

“The motivation is to play in the semi-finals of the Champions League.

“It’s a difficult draw. It doesn’t matter which of the three we had to play [Bayern Munich and Atletico Madrid make up the four semi-finalists] it was going to be difficult.

“The chances of continuing are the same and we expect to play a good game against a big team.”

City are fourth in the Premier League and Pellegrini’s immediate target is the next three games – against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on Saturday, followed by Newcastle United and Stoke City – a run which he hopes will cement a place in next season’s Champions League.

“I’m not prioritising any competition,” he said. “The best way to do it is to play well, win our games. Our target is to win the next nine points.

“We don’t need to prioritise, we play three Premier League games before we return to Champions League action. The best way is to win our games so it gives us confidence. Our target is to win the next nine points in the Premier League.”