Manchester City stars prepare for weekend derby as Pablo Zabaleta says 'Forget about Europe we are only thinking about United'
* Pablo Zabaleta has urged his side to focus on derby with Manchester Utd
* Neighbours clash at Etihad on Sunday and it could determine top four spot
* Manchester City progressed in Europe after 0-0 draw with Dynamo Kiev
* Zabaleta has said City still believe they can pip Leicester to the title
With progress in the Champions League assured, Manchester City have put their European excursions to one side and are fully focused on Sunday's huge derby with Manchester United, insists Pablo Zabaleta.
Following the 0-0 stalemate with Dynamo Kiev on Tuesday, Manuel Pellegrini saw his side advance to the quarter-final stage of club football's premier competition for the first time.
Joining the likes of Barcelona and Bayern Munich in the pot for Friday's draw, City must now turn their attentions back to the Premier League for the visit of neighbours United.
Pablo Zabaleta (right) makes his way out to training with Martin Demichelis as they prepare for Manchester Utd
While both teams are very much out of title contention, the clash could prove decisive in determining which Manchester side - if either, finishes in the top four.
Zabaleta said: 'I have been here a long time and know how special this game is.
'Since Tuesday the media have talked about City making history in the Champions League, but here everyone is just talking about the derby.
'That's normal when a big game is coming - celebrate doing well in Europe if you like, but we are only thinking about United.'
City sit fourth in the table, four points ahead of Louis van Gaal's sixth-placed United and have been preparing for the contest at their £200m Etihad Campus training complex, opened in December 2014.
Second-choice goalkeeper Willy Caballero makes sure he is ready as he dives to keep a shot from going in
Despite being separated from surprise leaders Leicester by 12 points, the Argentine claims his side have not given up hope of challenging for the crown they claimed in 2012 and then again two years later.
He said: 'The players know how much this game means to the fans, but we also know we can't drop any points.
'Leicester keep winning their games, and then you look at the rest of the teams and everything is really tight from third place down to sixth or seventh.
'We need to be honest with ourselves and think that the gap between the leaders Leicester and us is big. We have a game in hand but it wouldn't be right to just think about the title.
'It's just about focusing on winning the next game and this is probably the best way to see how far we can go in the league. We can't make any mistakes, and we have been dropping a lot of points.
'We want to see City fans celebrating the derby and then we can start thinking about our national teams.'
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