£13m striker gives major boost to Man City bosses ahead of Real Madrid tie

On the biggest night of Manchester City's Premier League campaign, there was still time to plan for the Treble.

Girona manager Michael Sanchez was one of those at the Etihad to witness the demolition of Arsenal on Wednesday night, and Pep Guardiola will have been paying full attention when the pair met after the surprise results in La Liga days earlier. Girona smashed Real Madrid 4-2 to all but end the league hopes of City's Champions League opponents, who trail Barcelona by 11 points with seven games to go.

As the Blues know, Carlo Ancelotti's men are a different beast when it comes to the Champions League - yet such a defeat is a reminder of their frailties. And, given Girona are part of the City Football Group (CFG), Guardiola can take advantage of the connections to get a fresh perspective on exactly how to make the Spanish super club suffer as City look to avenge the pain of last season's semi-final exit.

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If that helps City out, their owners will also have been delighted at Girona's win for other reasons. The 4-2 victory all but confirms that they will be playing in the top flight next year as well, pushing them past the 40-point mark and into 10th on their first season back in the division.

Having a team in your organisation in such a competitive league is incredibly handy for any loan moves for players that Guardiola rates but knows won't play as much as they want in a campaign. Sergio Gomez was lined up to go there this season before a U-turn on left-backs by the club and James McAtee had the option but chose Sheffield United (which has worked out very well for him).

The 4-2 victory was also a triumph for striker Taty Castellanos, who