The knockout stages of the Champions League is the last place to try and save a sagging season, but that’s the position Manchester City have put themselves into.
Back-to-back home defeats to Leicester and Tottenham in the Premier League followed by a 5-1 thrashing from Chelsea in the FA Cup have resulted in City’s longest losing streak since 2010.
They now visit Dynamo Kiev on Wednesday for the first leg of their round-of-16 tie looking to kick-start a campaign that once held dreams of four trophies.
But after slipping to fourth in the Premier League and being bounced out of the FA Cup, the Champions League takes on even greater importance.
Goalkeeper Joe Hart is confident they’ll respond.
“We’ve got to believe that (City can win the Champions League),” he told the club’s website. “Or else there is no point in turning up on Wednesday.
“We’ve got to believe that we’ve got what it takes.
“You know, it’s the best of the best, and if you’re not at your best you will lose, simple as that, in this competition.
“So it’s all about peaking for the game and being in the right place at the right time.”
Controversy has swirled around manager Manuel Pellegrini’s decision to give five teenagers their first-team debuts in the loss at Chelsea.
The Chilean defended the move saying he had to prioritize his side’s competitions because of injuries and a fixture backlog.
He’s taken a full squad to Ukraine that includes captain Vincent Kompany, play maker David Silva and leading scorer Sergio Aguero, who all were held out at Stamford Bridge.
And though Dynamo haven’t played a competitive match since early December, Pellegrini isn’t underestimating them.
He only has to look back to when he managed little-known Malaga on an improbable run to the 2013 Champions League quarter-finals to see what can happen if City do.  
“If we think that it will be easy then, for sure, we will be eliminated,” he said. “I will always put up the example of Malaga.
“Everyone wanted to play us because they thought it would be easy, but we beat some good teams.”
“The performance and the result is the important thing, not the team we are playing. We must play a very good game if we want to qualify.”
Olexandr Shovkovskiy, Dynamo’s 41-year-old goalkeeper, knows his team still face a stern test even if City are struggling.
“We are up against a strong side in Manchester City, a team of world stars,” he said on UEFA’s website. “But they have their own difficulties and problems, and they have their own approach to the game.
“The coaching staff will give us a detailed analysis of their game and will tell us what we need to do to play well.
“The rest is down to each of us and how well we put that into practice on the pitch.
“My feeling is that we can stand up to City and advance further.”  
The match is the second in a three-game run for City that began with the FA Cup and ends with the League Cup final against Liverpool on Sunday.
“We’re very lucky that we’re involved in a lot of competitions,” Hart said.
“The majority of time when it comes to the Champions League we’re still fighting on all fronts.
“This is a good time to be a Manchester City player and good time to be fighting.”

Fixtures
Both matches at 10:45pm   

Dynamo Kyiv vs Manchester City
PSV Eindhoven vs Atletico Madrid