City set for UEFA Cup surprise May 09 2008
Manchester City are in pole position to claim a UEFA Cup place after the Football Association was awarded an extra place in next season's competition.
European football's governing body revealed on Friday that English teams had topped their Fair Play competition, meaning an extra place in the first qualifying round of the 2008/09 UEFA Cup.
The FA has confirmed the berth will be awarded to the highest-ranked side in the Premier League fair play table that has not qualified for Europe by other means.
City currently stand fifth in the fair play table, behind Tottenham, Arsenal, Manchester United and Liverpool - who are all already guaranteed a place in continental competition.
That means the Blues, with only a single league game remaining, stand on the brink of an unexpected European spot which would be as good as it gets for the club at the moment, according to manager Sven-Goran Eriksson.
The Swede believes the big four are out of reach and said: "In our case it is not realistic we should qualify for the Champions League.
"We are good but not that good. We do not have a squad up to the standard of Liverpool, Arsenal, Chelsea or Manchester United.
"Everyone who knows a little bit about football will agree to that. If you are being realistic I think where we are is where we deserve to be after one year."