Football
Ben Gladwell, Italy correspondent 8y

Manuel Pellegrini: It's crucial for Man City to top Champions League group

Manchester City are out to prove that Saturday's defeat at home to Liverpool was just a blip when they bid to go "at least one step more" against Juventus in the Champions League on Wednesday night, according to their manager Manuel Pellegrini.

Pellegrini insisted anybody who saw that 4-1 defeat witnessed something which was "not a normal performance of our team," and that anyone who tunes in on Wednesday night will get to see the real deal, as his side go out to prove they have matured in Europe.

City have already secured their spot in the knockout stage, but Pellegrini said his goal is to win Group D ahead of Juventus, who are one point behind.

"I think it's very important that we have qualified for the third time in a row," he said at a news conference in Turin's Juventus Stadium. "We've done it in the last two years and were very unfortunate to have the same draw against Barcelona.

"This year it's important to be top of the group, but not just to avoid Barcelona. I think it's a test for us tomorrow to try to win in a difficult stadium, and to win the group."

City have stumbled in the last 16 in each of the past two seasons, when they were drawn against the Catalans. Finishing top of their group would likely mean they would avoid the likes of Barca, which is why victory in Turin on Wednesday would be twice as rewarding.

Not only would it be proof that they are strong enough to win away to last season's beaten finalists, but it could also help them further their ambitions in the tournament and be more confident about reaching the quarterfinals.

"It's important to try to reach at least one step more," Pellegrini said. "But it doesn't mean if we finish top of the group we are going to have an easy draw -- there are still a lot of difficult teams. But if we can avoid a big team at this stage, it would be important."

Ideally, Pellegrini wants his side to repeat their most recent European performances.

"I think first and foremost we need to play in Europe the same way we did against Sevilla," he said. "We played very well against Sevilla and didn't allow them to have many chances on our goal, but more than that we played in the same way we do many times in the Premier League, with a lot of possession and a lot of chances to score.

"Many people have criticised us in the Champions League and it is important that we have an achievement, and we did this in qualifying [for the knockout stages] for three years. We were unlucky to play against Barcelona, but in the group stage we have beaten Bayern twice -- once at home and once away.

"We will try to win the group as it is one step more in Europe, and also this is a big test for the future in the Champions League."

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