Mancini expecting Villa to go for broke

Manchester City boss Roberto Mancini has claimed Aston Villa cannot afford to leave Eastlands with anything less than a victory as the race for fourth place in the Premier League enters its final lap.

Both sides will be desperate to win to maintain their hopes of securing Champions League qualification, but Mancini is convinced Villa have no option but to go all out for three points.

Mancini said: “We have one semi-final and one final. We must beat Aston Villa. Our focus can only be on this game. If we beat Aston Villa then we can think about the game against Tottenham Hotspur.

“It will be a difficult game because now Aston Villa are fifth and they have played a game more. They are playing very well. They won their last three games, but we have a chance to win the game if we play well.

“I always thought that Liverpool and Aston Villa would fight with us and Tottenham until the end of the season. But Liverpool and Aston Villa have played one game more. Now that is important.

“If we win our game at home we go six points in front of them. It would be difficult for the other teams. But we are all fighting for one place.”

Mancini, who has injury doubts over Emmanuel Adebayor and Gareth Barry, is expected to hand a debut to goalkeeper Marlon Fulop, who signed on a short-term deal earlier this week after a dislocated shoulder ended Shay Given’s season.

The loss of his number one goalkeeper could hardly have come at a worse time for Mancini, who admits substance more than style is what matters at this stage of the campaign.

“We must defend very well,” he said. “I don’t know if we must play well. It is important that we win. It is important that we play as a team, like we did (in last weekend’s goalless draw) against Arsenal.”

There has been speculation Mancini will be sacked if he fails to secure a top four finish, but the Italian is confident he will still be around even if City miss out on the coveted ticket to the riches of the Champions League.

“I don’t think I will have failed if we don’t finish fourth,” he insisted. “If we want to be a good team, it is important that we improve every week and every month. We have improved in the last five months. I am happy for this because I have seen the players have worked very well.

“I think the owners can see the improvement. I am the manager and it is my opinion that we have improved. We are playing like a team. That is important. Now we have three games to play and we have a chance to finish fourth.”

Villa defender Stephen Warnock is convinced the race for fourth place will go down to the last game of the season.

“The pressure is on all of us,” the full-back said. “It’s a position we all want and we’re all trying to get. It shows by the run that we’ve put together.

“City have lost one to United and it puts us straight back into it, so I think we’re all keeping each other on our toes.

“The game at Eastlands could be vital, but it might not even depend on that. I think it will go down to the wire on the very last day and it will be very closely run but hopefully we’re still in there fighting. It’s fascinating for the neutrals.”