UEFA Champions League: Manuel Pellegrini Believes Manchester City Will Eventually Win UCL

By John Santisteban | Sep 29, 2014 07:50 AM EDT

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Manchester City manager Manuel Pellegrini believes that it won't take too long before the club wins the Champions League after failing in their recent attempts.

Manchester City, who failed to get past the group stage in the 2011-12 and 2012-13 season before turning their fortunes last year, took a 1-0 loss to Bayern Munich in their first Champions League assignment this season.

Based from their success in the English Premier League in two of the past three seasons, Pellegrini is convinced that Manchester City are on pace to finally win the coveted European crown.

"I am absolutely sure that Manchester City will eventually win the Champions League," Pellegrini said in an interview with Sky Sports. "Of course, it is not the most important title to win but when it happens -- and it will -- it will not mean that this project is finished."

Pellegrini also reiterated that they are not just looking to win it once as they are aiming to become one of the perennial championship contenders year in and year out, while also adding that they are also looking to dominate in other big competitions aside from the Barclays Premier League.

"City don't just want to win the Champions League once," Pellegrini said. "The owners are aiming to become one of those clubs that believes they can win it every year. That means reaching the final or the semifinal regularly -- and also winning trophies like the Premier League, the FA Cup and the Capital One Cup."

The 61-year-old manager also reiterated that their success at the Premier League and FA Cup are something to be proud of, but they need to win the Champions League in order to prove that they belong to the elite clubs in the world.

"If you want to be a really big team, you must be involved in all competitions - in Europe and in England," Pellegrini stressed. "I don't think City have underachieved in the Champions League. What you have seen is the normal growth of a team. But the biggest step is to be successful in the Champions League and the Premier League. That's what clubs like Real Madrid or Barcelona or Bayern Munich do."

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