Garcia: We can still catch Manchester United in title race

Javi Garcia is adamant Manchester City can catch Manchester United in the final 10 games of the season.

The title holder needs Sir Alex Ferguson's side to collapse in spectacular fashion if the team is to retain the title it won so thrillingly in the final seconds of the last day of the 2011-12 season.

While the Red Devils hold a strong lead in the quest for their 20th league title, the 26-year-old suggests Roberto Mancini's team needs to keep winning games such as the hard-fought 1-0 victory at Aston Villa on Monday night to stay in touch.

"Twelve points is a good lead for United but there are 10 games left and 30 points to play for," he told the club's official website. "It is possible, we are City, we need to fight until the final game, and it could happen. We will continue to fight for this Premier League title.

"We still have to go to Old Trafford, but first we have difficult games like Everton and Tottenham away from home. It is important we win at United but if we don't win, for example against Everton, it will be much harder.

Garcia admits that Manchester United losing to Real Madrid in the Champions League could have a negative effect on City's title chances, but insists it will not change his club's preparations for the run in.

"I don't know if the Champions League was a distraction for United or not," he stated. "Maybe it was better for us that United had more games but the situation is the same even though they lost to Madrid. We just need to focus on ourselves."