Man City's Champions League Draw Offers Pellegrini Great Chance to Make History

Manchester City have been drawn against Dynamo Kiev in the last 16 of this season’s Champions League.

The first leg will be played in Kiev on February 24, with the return leg at the Etihad scheduled for March 15. The game in Ukraine will be played behind closed doors after Kiev were hit with sanctions for racist chanting in their game with Chelsea in October.

"

One for the diary. The #UCL round of 16 programme... #UCLdraw pic.twitter.com/fy2C5csAuc

— Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) December 14, 2015"

The Ukrainian side, managed by Sergei Rebrov, finished second in Chelsea’s group and acquitted themselves well, drawing the home game 0-0 before losing narrowly at Stamford Bridge.

The tie represents City’s best chance to date of making it to the quarter-finals of the competition, and Manuel Pellegrini is now on course to make history with the club. 

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Dynamo overame Manchester City 2-1 on aggregate in the 2010/11 @EuropaLeague #UCLdraw pic.twitter.com/hiMnH3MTBN

— Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) December 14, 2015"

Since they first qualified for it back in 2011 under former manager Roberto Mancini, their progress has been slow. Mancini failed to get City out of the group stages in his two attempts, and Pellegrini has been beaten at the last-16 stage twice, both times by Barcelona, the current titleholders.

City topped Group D after a sensational win over Borussia Monchengladbach at the Etihad last week, which guaranteed they would avoid the giants of the competition: Barcelona, Real Madrid and Bayern Munich.

It’s the first time in five attempts that City have managed to win their group, and they can now look forward to a last-16 tie that they are favourites to win.

FABRICE COFFRINI/Getty Images

Progress in the competition is high on the list of priorities at the Etihad. The club’s ambition means that Champions League success, at some stage, is vital, and City officials will feel that going beyond the first knockout stage this season is an important signpost on the road to achieving that goal.

The fitness of City’s key players is likely to determine how far they can go. Their campaign has so far been hampered by injuries to key players, with Vincent Kompany, Sergio Aguero, David Silva and Pablo Zabaleta all having spent significant time on the treatment table.

Kompany continually has calf problems, and without him City look short of leadership and organisation at the back.

Again on Saturday, in the 2-1 win over Swansea City at home, the Blues looked all over the place defensively, with Eliaquim Mangala particularly failing to impress.

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Round of 16: Dynamo Kiev.. Here we go! No matter how hard the game is, we will be even harder! #UEFA #UCL #MCFC pic.twitter.com/5rEPrww9fg

— Eliaquim Mangala (@Elia22Mangala) December 14, 2015"

They need the Belgian back if they are to have a realistic chance of impacting the latter stages of this season’s Champions League.

And without the goals provided by Aguero, City look short in that department, too. He could return for the game with Arsenal next Monday, but given his injury record, it would be a surprise if he remained problem-free for the remainder of the campaign.

As it stands, 19-year-old Kelechi Iheanacho is currently ineligible for Champions League matches, having been left off their initial squad named at the start of the season. However, with Samir Nasri now a long-term injury casualty, Iheanacho will surely be added when the squads are resubmitted ahead of the next phase.

It feels vitally important for Pellegrini and his legacy. One of the chief reasons he was appointed was for his Champions League ability, having taken Villarreal and Malaga further in the competition than they had ever been.

European progress under his stewardship has been steady, but he now has a great opportunity to take his side further than ever before.

And with the possibility of a winnable tie in the quarter-finals, should City make it there, Pellegrini will have one eye on going even further. 

"

Your turn to play 'em, @Arsenal! #UCLdraw pic.twitter.com/ojx5obbkX7

— Manchester City FC (@MCFC) December 14, 2015"

Rob Pollard is Bleacher Report's lead Manchester City correspondent and will be following the club from a Manchester base throughout the 2015/16 season. All quotes were obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted. Follow him on Twitter @RobPollard_.