Manchester City midfielder Fernandinho believes winning the Capital One Cup could give the club's hunt for further Premier League and Champions League glory a big boost.
The Brazilian scored in City's 3-1 second-leg semifinal defeat of Everton on Wednesday -- a victory that secured their spot in the Feb. 28 final against Liverpool at Wembley.
City won the tournament in March of 2014 before going on to win the Premier League later that season. The Brazil international told the Manchester Evening News that cup success later this month could again lead to bigger things for the Etihad club.
"Winning it two years ago was important for our season -- we won the cup in March and then had a lot of games that month in the Champions League and Premier League," the 30-year-old former Shakhtar man said.
"The confidence of the team was definitely higher for those games as we had already shown on the pitch what we can do. If we can win it again we will be very happy."
The Capital One Cup is the lesser-valued competition when compared to the Premier League and FA Cup, with top clubs not adverse to sending out alternate XIs for matches.
"If some people don't like this competition, I don't understand it. I like every competition I can play," Fernandinho said. "It's a great opportunity to win a trophy by playing five or six games and a final, and it's important for the players and the club to win things.
"Wembley is special. I played there two years ago and we won and now we will go there again to play a good team -- winning trophies is making history. When you win a title you gain confidence, and the supporters love you, because they want to win things as well."
With their Capital One Cup passage sealed on Wednesday, City face a quick turnaround. An FA Cup fourth-round tie against Aston Villa on Saturday threatens to test the squad's focus, though Fernandinho says City will be prepared for their Villa Park visit.
"It's always difficult when you have had a game in midweek to get to a final," he said. "It's hard to keep concentration but our team is very experienced to control this.
"We know the FA Cup is important for the team and fans. Villa is a tough team, on a tough pitch in a tough stadium.
"They are not having a good time in the Premier League but in 90 minutes anything can happen. We have two days to prepare and will see which players the manager chooses."