Man City boss Mancini insists top four hopes intact

Manchester City boss Roberto Mancini insists their top four hopes remain intact.

Mancini watched his team go down 2-1 at Hull on Saturday to equal the number of league defeats suffered this season by his predecessor Mark Hughes.

But with Tottenham and Aston Villa sharing the points from their weekend clash, City remain three points off Liverpool in fourth with two games in hand on the teams around them going into Tuesday's clash with Bolton and Mancini believes his side have what it takes to break up the established 'big four'.

"I'm even more confident," Mancini said. "Because in the first three or four games we have played very well after we've lost players (to injury).

"I'm confident when I recover all the players we can win this week at home and then win away (at Stoke on Tuesday).

"We must remember we have two games in hand and if we win them we go fourth. We have a good chance if we win this game.

"When we recover all our players I don't think it's a problem."