THE real test is only just beginning for Mark Hughes - and the City boss knows it. Progress to the group stages of the UEFA Cup has landed the Blues a European adventure that will test his squad to the limit.

Schalke 04, Paris Saint Germain, Racing Santander and Steve McClaren's FC Twente will provide the Euro challenge to go alongside the demands of the Premier League.

And if you thought the opening three months of the season had been hectic, it is nothing compared to what they will face when they return from the international break.

Put simply, this could be the most exhausting season in the club's history, particularly if they go all the way to Istanbul for the final.

With the campaign set to last 10 months and seven days, it is already guaranteed to be their longest-ever by the time they wrap up their league programme at home to Bolton on May 24.

But if the Blues reach the latter stages of the UEFA Cup and the FA Cup, they will set a club record for the highest number of competitive games.

Reaching the finals of both would see City play 64 matches - a tally that could rise to 68 if FA Cup replays are thrown in.

The club record stands at 61 set in 1969/70 on the way to a League Cup and European Cup Winners' Cup double.

It is partly because of the fixture demands that Hughes has called for patience and realism to throw in with the excitement around Eastlands in the wake of an extraordinary few weeks in the club's history.

Click on the gallery link on the right to see who City will come up against

The manager knows it will take time to build a squad capable of sustaining a challenge at the right end of the Premier League.

Sven-Goran Eriksson managed to keep City in touch with the top four until late February last season - but he didn't have to juggle domestic demands with a European campaign.

And having used 29 players in City's opening 14 matches, Hughes knows he will need a decent-sized pool to choose from as injuries and suspensions bite.

The City boss already faces the task of reshuffling his defence over the next few weeks as right-back Pablo Zabaleta serves a three-match domestic ban for his red card against Liverpool on Sunday.

The flexibility of his squad will allow him to do that, most likely by bringing in the versatile Tal Ben Haim when the Blues visit Newcastle a week on Monday.

But despite the ability of Ben Haim, Micah Richards and Vincent Kompany to play in a number of positions, Hughes will need to strengthen in January.

Hughes is likely to buy a goalkeeper in the New Year to battle Joe Hart and Kasper Schmeichel for the first-team gloves, while a left-back - possibly Chelsea's Wayne Bridge - and an attacking player are also on his shopping list.

Not for the first time, Thierry Henry is being linked with a winter move the Blues, with the former Arsenal star said to be unhappy at Barcelona.

Blackburn striker Roque Santa Cruz and Atletico Madrid's Sergio Aguero are also on the City radar.

Hughes will meet new owner Sheikh Mansour's team in Abu Dhabi next month to map out his transfer plans for January.

Given that the big names rarely switch clubs mid-season, it may be a case of making a couple of shrewd signings to keep the squad ticking over as City plough through their demanding fixture programme.

Before then, though, the task is to make sure the Blues are still firing in Europe and at home when the New Year comes around.

The trip to Newcastle will be the first of 17 games in 10 weeks. Come through that lot intact, with a place in the UEFA Cup knockout stages secure, and City fans might just be able to start dreaming of a record-breaking season.

Do City have the squad to cope with their hectic schedule? Have your say.