Manchester City manager Manuel Pellegrini has said that the best preparation for their Champions League clash with Real Madrid is to beat Stoke City on Saturday afternoon.

With the first leg of their tie with the La Liga giants taking place just three days after their meeting with Stoke, there had been suggestions that Pellegrini could rest some of his players.

However, Pellegrini has insisted that the club cannot afford to show any weakness in their bid for third position in the league standings, which would guarantee the club a place in the group stages of the Champions League next season.

The Chilean told reporters: "It's very important that we're in the Champions League semi-final but that doesn't mean we're not worried about the Premier League.

"The best way to prepare for Tuesday is to beat Stoke, to score goals, keep a clean sheet and that will help us prepare.

"We need three points to keep our options to finish third. If you want to be a big team you must want to be in every competition. The semi is big but we must also finish high."

City will overtake Arsenal and move back into third spot if they can beat the Potters at the Etihad Stadium.