Manchester City boss Manuel Pellegrini says his players have to show intensity when they take on Newcastle United on Saturday afternoon.
The Citizens have now gone three games without a win at home and Pellegrini says it is vital for his side to take all three points against John Carver's men.
"We cannot drop more points but the important thing also is, if we win tomorrow, we will have the same amount of points at the same moment as last season," Pellegrini said on Friday.
"We can't think about where Chelsea is – it's important not to drop points and the only way to do it is to play well.
"I always say Newcastle are a very good team with very good players – it's not easy to play against them.
"I hope tomorrow we will recover our normal performance at home – we will have to play well with lots of intensity."
Midfielder James Milner is not in the squad after suffering a knee problem but the Citizens welcome Wilfried Bony and Yaya Toure back in the squad after the Africa Cup of Nations.
"The only player who has a problem is James Milner – he has a problem in his knee and he will not be available," the Chilean explained.
"It's not very, very serious but he couldn't work all week - all of the other players are fit.
"[Wilfried] Bony is an important player for us – he's involved in the squad list for tomorrow.
"We'll see if he starts or if he's on the bench.
"He's a player who has played in England, he knows he Premier League, he knows our team – I think it will be easy for him to settle in.
"He can play with Aguero, with Dzeko, with Jovetic, with Silva – all of the players in our squad."
