Stumbling Manchester City will still retain the title despite some early-season problems, coach Roberto Mancini said on Friday as he prepares for Saturday's tricky away game at Fulham.
Seventh-placed City are unbeaten in the league but have failed to win in four games and have drawn three of their opening five in the Premier League - leaking goals.
"We will win the title," Mancini told a news conference.
"It is more difficult in the second year, but we will win the title," he said. "There are some moments where maybe you don't play well, the other team plays better than you or you are unlucky. This is one of those moments. You need only to stay calm and work hard."
"We have conceded only two goals more than [at this stage] last year and maybe we have scored less," he said.
Samir Nasri could return after missing last week's 1-1 draw against Arsenal with a hamstring injury.
Manchester United's "terrible time" with injuries to defenders will allow some of the squad's youngsters to stake a claim for Premier League roles, starting at home to Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday, manager Sir Alex Ferguson said.
With Nemanja Vidic ruled out after knee surgery and Chris Smalling still sidelined, Ferguson called up Scott Wootton for Wednesday's League Cup win over Newcastle United and was clearly impressed with what he saw.
"We had bad news earlier in the week about Nemanja. It's a blow. We're having a terrible time with defenders at the moment," he told reporters.
"On Wednesday, we played two young boys and they did very well. Scott Wootton reads the game well, passes the ball well and, having seen him in a situation against very experienced players, he did very well. He'll be involved tomorrow."
"This goal has taken the pressure off me. It's done, I have my first goal. But it has to be the start of a beautiful adventure," he told Arsenal's website.
