Sven admits to Champions League dreams

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City have enjoyed a phenomenal first half of the campaign and despite not winning away from Eastlands since the opening day, spent Christmas Day in fourth spot, edging Liverpool out of the Champions League places.

He said: "The Champions League will be very difficult but you can always dream. If you asked people in August whether we would be fourth in the table at this point, I am sure they would have laughed at us. So far, we have done very well and obviously, I am happy with our position."

He added: "Maybe I am more confident of finishing in a European place than I was earlier in the season but the games we have coming up now are very important.

"And even after the big weekends right in front of us, it is very important that come to March and April, we are still fit, we can still run and we can still move the legs."

Eriksson's observations mean he will almost certain rotate the City squad throughout a Christmas programme which, after Thursday's clash with out-of-form Blackburn, sees Liverpool visit Eastlands on Sunday before a trip to the north to face Newcastle on January 2, and another one south where West Ham will provide the Blues' opposition in the FA Cup third round.

England Under-21 midfielder Michael Johnson has already been ruled out of the Blackburn encounter with an abdominal strain, so Geovanni could replace Gelson Fernandes in central midfield while Stephen Ireland returns from a three-match ban.

Vedran Corluka and Javier Garrido are also primed to face a Blackburn side who have won their last five games against City but have secured just one victory in nine outings, culminating in Sunday's home defeat by Chelsea.