Manchester City's Win over Stoke Perfect Preparation for Champions League Test

As preparations for a UEFA Champions League semi-final go, Manchester City’s 4-0 win over Stoke City was about as perfect as you’re going to get. They played some neat combination football going forward and kept a clean sheet, collecting three points that strengthened their position inside the Premier League's top four. Most crucially, they achieved that while resting some of their star names.

Real Madrid visit the Etihad Stadium on Tuesday night for one of the most important nights in the club’s history. The La Liga side are strong favourites, and City need their best players in premium condition if they are to get a result. Kevin De Bruyne, Vincent Kompany and the over-worked Fernandinho were all rested for the game with the Stoke, with the latter pair not even in the 18-man squad.

And with City in such a commanding position around the hour mark, David Silva, troubled recently by more ankle pain, and Sergio Aguero, the club’s principle goalscorer, were both afforded early withdrawals. Only Yaya Toure’s knock in the final moments that saw him hobble around for the closing stages took any gloss off the afternoon.

The Stoke players appear to be in holiday mode already, coasting aimlessly to the season’s end. They have registered just one win in their last seven Premier League games and have now conceded 12 in their last three matches. Mark Hughes, a manager who demands hard work, will be concerned.

Alex Livesey/Getty Images

They were perfect opponents for City, barely putting up a fight. Manuel Pellegrini’s side were nowhere near their best in the first half, yet they came off at the break 2-0 up thanks to Fernando’s header and Aguero’s penalty after the impressive Kelechi Iheanacho had been dragged back in the area.

The Nigerian’s double in the second half compounded Stoke’s misery and further underlined his growing potential. He’s 19, has wonderful technical qualities and supreme confidence. He won’t start against Real, but he showed once again that very little fazes him and that, if called upon, he could be a game-changing option from the bench on Tuesday night.

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Man of the match today. thanks to my team mates the manager the staffs and the fans. pic.twitter.com/zlGTRclcPH

— Kelechi Iheanacho (@67Kelechi) April 23, 2016"

City have are now unbeaten in their last seven matches in all competitions, winning five of them.

Pellegrini said afterwards the result against Stoke was the most important thing—and that resting players was crucial given their fixture list.

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Watch Manuel Pellegrini's post #cityvstoke press conference in full. #mcfc  https://t.co/j5X3OYQWzL

— Manchester City FC (@MCFC) April 23, 2016"

"The most important thing is the result, but we need to play eight games in 30 days so it was important to make rotations," he said.

"David Silva was just coming back from an injury so he played 60 minutes. Kun has been playing 90 minutes a lot so it was good for him to rest. It was the same thing with Kevin De Bruyne.

"Fernando has a little pain in his knee, but I think he will be okay for Tuesday. Yaya finished with a muscle injury so we will see [on Sunday] with the doctor.

"

Proud to have reached 300th appearances with @MCFC pic.twitter.com/KjH5A5Xa3I

— Pablo Zabaleta (@pablo_zabaleta) April 23, 2016"

"It was a risk for Vincent to play two games in 72 hours. I think he will be okay for Tuesday—he worked this morning, and he is not having any problems."

City are now third in the table, having overtaken Arsenal who have a game in hand. The race for the top four looks like going down to the final day, and City’s win against Stoke, which extended their unbeaten run in the league to five matches, felt like a crucial three points.

But perhaps more important is the effect it will have ahead of Tuesday. It was a serene afternoon that went almost perfectly. Key players were rested and some excellent football was played.

Now for the biggest game of their season.

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.