Man City want more than just qualifying for the quarter-finals

Gareth Taylor is aiming for nothing less than top spot in Manchester City’s Champions League group.

City can secure a place in the quarter-finals with two games to spare if they maintain their 100 per cent record in the competition with victory over Hammarby in Stockholm on Thursday.

Yet that is merely the least of manager Taylor’s targets as he looks to power into the knockout stages in style.

City beat Hammarby 2-0 in their first Champions League meeting last week (Martin Rickett/PA)

The City boss said on the club’s website: “We feel one more win will get us into the quarter-final stages, but it doesn’t stop after that.

“We want to finish at the top of the group and win every game in this fantastic competition.

“It’s been a while since we’ve been here, and we’re enjoying the ride at the moment. That for us doesn’t change, it’s about winning games.”

City head into the game on the back of their first defeat of the season after losing 2-0 to Women’s Super League leaders Chelsea on Saturday.

They also travel without forward Lauren Hemp after it was confirmed the England international would need surgery on her injured knee.

City beat the Swedish side 2-0 when the sides met in their reverse Group D fixture at the Joie Stadium last week.

Khadija Shaw is looking forward to the contest (Martin Rickett/PA)

Striker Khadija Shaw, the WSL top scorer, is relishing the return contest in front of what could be a crowd of 20,000.

The Jamaican said: “We’re definitely excited. Even in the last game, they brought the crowd, and we were talking about it and saying next week is going to be crazy and we’re definitely looking forward to it.

“For us as a group, we’ve been in positions where we’re playing in front of massive crowds.

“We have that experience, and we’re used to it.

“It’s their home so it’s going to be different of course but we have the quality and experience to handle this kind of situation.”