Manuel Pellegrini has backed Eliaquim Mangala to rise to the occasion when Manchester City face an in-formZlatan Ibrahimovic in Wednesday’s Champions Leaguequarter-final first leg against Paris Saint-Germain. France defender Mangala has faced criticism from some quarters over his form since moving to Etihad Stadium for a reported fee of £42million from Porto in August 2014.But with captain Vincent Kompany (calf) leading a damaging injury list that also includes goalkeeper Joe Hart (calf), Raheem Sterling (groin) and possibly Yaya Toure (knee), Mangala is set to continue deputising against the Ligue 1 champions.
Mangala’s performances may have been indifferent, but Pellegrini is confident the 25-year-old can keep a brilliant PSG attack – led by the evergreen Ibrahimovic – quiet at the Parc des Princes. “If you have the statistics then you will see every time Mangala plays then we win,” Pellegrini said.”In a few games this season he has made mistakes, which is very awful to concede, but if you review his overall performances, he is a very good player.”I don’t think the price made a difference for him. He is a very young player, he is adapting to a difficult league in the Premier League. He has all the conditions to be a very important player here and I’m sure he will improve in every season he plays in the Premier League.”
The tie marks City’s first foray in the quarter-finals of the Champions League after being knocked out in the last 16 by Barcelona in the previous two seasons, as they seek to finally translate their domestic form into Europe.