By next Wednesday, Manchester City's season could be as good as over, with only the F.A. Cup to keep realistic hopes of silverware alive.

Defeat at home by Manchester United on Sunday and a failure to beat CSKA Moscow at Etihad Stadium three days later will see City almost certainly nine points behind Chelsea and its chances of reaching the knockout stage of the Champions League dead and buried.

City goes into the weekend's fixtures in third place, which hardly gives the impression of a club in crisis, but the Blues are a pale shadow of the side that won the Premier League in some style last May, scoring 102 goals. They have won four, drawn four and lost four of their last 12 matches, the latest defeat a 2-0 home loss to a young and inexperienced Newcastle team in the League Cup which City won last season.