MANCHESTER (DF) -- Despite a vast majority of bookmakers across Europe insisting otherwise, Manchester City manager Roberto Mancini has claimed his side aren't favorites to lift the Europa League trophy in Dublin on May 18th.
After turning on the style to collect a cool 3-0 win against Aris Thessaloniki, a scoreline which flattered the Greek giants, many European bookmakers stopped taking bets on Manchester City, with most believing it to be a forgone conclusion that City captain Carlos Tevez will wind-up lifting the cup at the Aviva Stadium.
"We're seeing the same thing all across Europe," said Ingo Metzger, a renowned betting patterns expert based out of Zurich. "Now that they're through to the round of 16, everyone is jumping on the Manchester City bandwagon. There isn't a club left in the competition that can compete. UEFA should simply award them the trophy now to save everyone the hassle of having to show up."
Mancini refused to be drawn into speculation after the match on Thursday, but did admit he viewed the competition as wide open. "We are not favorites. There are sixteen great clubs left and I'm sure one of them will win it."
"We don't like to get ahead of ourselves," declared a City spokesperson after Mancini's press conference. "We have a lot of fixtures between then and now, and there are plenty of fantastic teams left in the draw. We're just excited to be in the mix. As a club, we're taking things one game at a time."
The spokesperson revealed that the City hierarchy have taken steps to ensure seats will be available for their supporters, regardless of the cost. "So far, Sheikh Mansour has only reserved half of the publicly available tickets for the final, but that could change should we make it all the way there."
"We have the money to buy the whole stadium."
