Roberto Mancini has claimed that Manuel Pellegrini is lucky to have inherited his squad at Manchester City.

The Italian led City to their first Premier League title in 2012, but was sacked in May 2013 after failing to pick up any trophies the following season.

With the current league champions heading to Barcelona tomorrow evening for a vital Champions League clash, Mancini piled the pressure on current manager Pellegrini.

Speaking to CNN, Mancini said: "I think that Pellegrini was really lucky, because he got this team that is a strong team and he had the chance to put inside other good players.

"I miss the Premier League because I worked there for three-and-a-half-years and I built the team that now is in second position, because I think that they play the same players and I'm very proud of this."

Mancini, currently in charge at Inter Milan, added that he believes City are still in the title race, despite being six points behind Chelsea who have a game in hand.