Gabriel Jesus knows winning the Carabao Cup can be a springboard to a stunning end to a difficult season for Manchester City .

City will soon relinquish their Premier League champions status to Liverpool and face a two-year UEFA ban from the Champions League for breaking Financial Fair Play rules.

But Pep Guardiola's side still have a chance of claiming three trophies this season and turning a testing campaign into one that ultimately yields fresh success.

For all Liverpool's brilliance in the league and City's inability to keep up with them, the Blues can still end a turbulent season on a high.

They are in pole position to reach the Champions League quarter-finals after an epic 2-1 win at Real Madrid , and have every chance of retaining the FA Cup and Carabao Cup.

City's win in Madrid proved their enduring class and Jesus, who scored for the second successive game, knows the significance of tomorrow's clash against Aston Villa in the context of the season run-in.

“Sunday is important,” said Jesus. “It’s been a big week because we played Leicester away, a team with a lot of quality, and went seven points in front of them.

“So we’ve had two very good games – and now it’s a final. It’s important to win the first title of the season.

“The second leg against Real Madrid will be a difficult game, but now we have to focus on the final on Sunday and play to win the first title.”

Jesus, 22, is in contention to start on Sunday, having scored in back-to-back games to take his goal tally to 18 for the season from 36 games.

Although he has missed a succession of chances that would have already seen him surpass the 20-goal mark, Jesus is hitting his best form at just the right time of the season.

He kept City's star striker Sergio Aguero on the bench at the Bernabeu, playing in a different role on the left, rather than his more familiar position as a central striker.

“When I started to play at Palmeiras I was a winger, in the first-team,” said Jesus.

“After a year I started to play as the second striker, and after that as the first striker, so I can play there.

“I can play all four front positions – both wings and both striker positions.

“I enjoy the work. It doesn’t matter if I have to run back to help my team-mates, I'm young and I have the power and energy to do this.

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