Manuel Pellegrini refuses to get drawn into Mourinho's mind games

Manuel Pellegrini has dismissed Jose Mourinho’s claims of a refereeing campaign against Chelsea.

Pellegrini takes his Manchester City side to title rivals Chelsea tonight with Mourinho having insisted there is a conspiracy against his side.

Chelsea striker Diego Costa will miss the showdown after losing his appeal against a three-match ban for violent conduct for stamping on Liverpool’s Emre Can.

But ahead of the potentially explosive encounter at Stamford Bridge, Pellegrini dismissed Mourinho’s claims that refs have an agenda against the league leaders.

“I hope that in the Premier League - the most important league in the world - they don’t have a campaign against anyone,” said Pellegrini.

“I hope all is fair and the referee makes mistakes for all the teams exactly the same, that the FA make the fixtures in a fair way - and the punishments.

“For my way of thinking I think it’s the best league in the world and I don’t think it has any strange things.

“Because [if that’s the case] then you are not competing [fairly]. After that, if you win the title, it’s not an important title, because all of it would have been arranged.”

Pellegrini also insisted he would not be drawn into a war of words with old foe Mourinho, claiming the Chelsea manager’s fondness for mind games was not the right way to behave.

“This profession is so difficult for a manager,” said Pellegrini. “We have different styles. The way I do it is the best way for me.

“But it’s not the only way to do it. Maybe you think you can take advantage, but for me I don’t think it’s the normal way or the fair way.

“Every one of us wants to win, but we have different ways of winning - for me it’s about trying to play the best way in the 95 minutes.”

Pellegrini said he hopes Chelsea striker Costa will return from his three-match ban a changed man.

“I don’t know Diego Costa, but I know of him from Spain,” said Pellegrini. “For me, he’s a very good player. But maybe this will be good for him for the future.

“Maybe he’s not an easy character, but I hope with this punishment that it will be a good thing for him for him to change a little bit in the future.

“He doesn’t need to do that kind of thing because he is a top player.”