Vincent Kompany claims Manchester City's testing Premier League fixture list will help in their battle for Champions League football.
The big-spending Eastlands outfit climbed into fourth place on Saturday as they demolished hapless Burnley 6-1 at Turf Moor after Tottenham had suffered a 3-1 defeat against Sunderland at the Stadium of Light.
Roberto Mancini's men are now masters of their own destiny heading into their final six games of the season, but they have some testing games on the horizon.
Saturday's home game with Birmingham is followed by fixtures against title-chasing Manchester United and Arsenal, with top-four rivals Aston Villa and Spurs to follow, before a season-finale against relegation-threatened West Ham.
Four of those fixtures will take place in front of their own fans at Eastlands, where City have suffered just one defeat all season, and Belgium midfielder Kompany believes the calibre of opposition will bring out their best.
He said: "We are definitely in a good position. We still have to play Manchester United, Arsenal, Villa, Tottenham.
"You could say they are difficult games but I say they are perfect.
"They are teams that are direct opponents. If you look at our results we've often performed best against the top teams.
"It feels close but the home games against Spurs and Villa will decide it."
Mancini, who was only appointed as Mark Hughes' replacement in December, has seen his position come under scrutiny amid the demands for success at City, but Kompany believes he is the right man for the job.
He added: "The targets are very clear. We have to get fourth place. The way we are playing at the moment, there is no reason to think anything is going to change.
"I had so much respect for Mark Hughes and I have a lot of respect for Mancini as well.
"The only thing that's changed has been that he has more of an Italian way of viewing the game, maybe there's more of a tactical side to our game."
