Manchester City's Champions League Draw Offers Opportunity for Further Progress

Manchester City’s season has underwhelmed—particularly domestically—where their failure to mount a decent title challenge has seen them widely criticised. Their Premier League form has been maddeningly inconsistent. The title was theirs for the taking, and they have failed miserably. Now, a fight to hang on to their top-four status is very much on.

However, in Europe, they have made history. Their win over Dynamo Kiev in the last 16 of the Champions League has seen them move into the quarter-final stage for the very first time. They have struggled since qualifying for the competition back in 2011, but this represents real progress.

They will be fairly happy with their draw. Paris Saint-Germain are a formidable side who move the ball quickly and play with intensity. By avoiding Barcelona, Bayern Munich and Real Madrid, who each possess a depth of quality the rest cannot match, City will feel that they have done okay.

Jon Super/Associated Press

Wolfsburg and Benfica were perhaps the plumb draws, but PSG—who dispatched Chelsea in the last round—are beatable.

Manuel Pellegrini said he was happy to have been drawn away in the first leg and admitted he was relieved to have avoided Barcelona—a side he feels are considerably stronger than the rest:

"

It's a difficult draw as always. When you are among the best eight teams in Europe, it's always a difficult draw. At the moment, Barcelona are the team that makes a difference. All the others are exactly the same. 

You never know what is an easy draw. We are in the eight best teams; maybe one team can have less of a name than another. If they are in the same stage because they deserve it because they eliminate important teams, [then] I don't think [in] the last eight you can have an easy draw. I always prefer to finish at home—the first leg away—so you know what you must do in your home game.

"

Jon Super/Associated Press

To win, though, City will have to raise their game considerably. In their two matches with Chelsea, PSG showed they are capable of producing quality. Zlatan Ibrahimovic, although 34, remains a player almost impossible to handle when at his best. Angel Di Maria—seen as a failure at Manchester United—has rediscovered his match-winning abilities in the French capital. 

Marco Verratti and Blaise Matuidi offer power in midfield, and Thiago Silva is perhaps the finest centre-back in the game. On current form, they will be the favourites.

Thibault Camus/Associated Press

And with Vincent Kompany suffering another calf injury in the last 16 game with Kiev on Tuesday, he looks set to miss a large portion of the season—a significant blow for City who rely on his leadership and defensive quality.

But City have saved their best performances in recent months for the Champions League. Their away wins over Seville and Kiev saw them play with a purpose and intensity too often missing. If they can find that level in the first leg at the Parc Des Princes and come back to Manchester with a positive result, then they’ll feel a semi-final spot is achievable.

When reacting to City's quarter-final draw, sporting director Txiki Begiristain stated, “My first reaction was ‘wow’ but we’ll do our best; we have confidence in our team,” via Anthony Jepson of the Manchester Evening News. Begiristain continued:

"

PSG are a really tough opponent. They’re a very complete side in all aspects, but we’re dreaming about continuing. PSG are growing year upon year, they’re in the quarter-finals, but they want to get to the semi-finals. We need to recover some players and hopefully we’ll play a competitive tie.

"

City already have made progress in Europe, but they’re capable of better—and against PSG, they will have an opportunity to achieve even more. If Pellegrini leaves having taken them from a side exiting the group stages to one who has made a semi-final, then the club’s directors are likely to feel his appointment was very much worthwhile.

Jon Super/Associated Press

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.