City host Borussia Monchengladbach on matchday six, with Juve travelling to Spain to take on Sevilla, and Pellegrini insists that his already-qualified side can still top the group.
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“I’ve got to compliment the lads on going through with a game to spare”, he said.
“Juve have been lucky to be honest with you, as we had the chances to draw and even win the game”, Toure told BT Sport after the game.
City had little to show for patient build-up play during the opening stages until Kevin De Bruyne’s cross from the left broke for Fernandinho, a goalscorer against Sevilla, who blazed wastefully over on this occasion. “To win you have to score goals and when we miss like that these things can happen”.
City pressed to find an equaliser, which would have kept them on top of the group, but they lacked the killer touch in the final third.
“It was a odd and fake game that we played, and that is the past”.
Allegri claimed Group D was “very difficult” to qualify from and suggested it was the most challenging section in the tournament.
Hart was excellent throughout and it will represent a sizeable blow should he be unavailable -although the goalkeeper himself thought it was nothing serious.
Alvaro Morata replaced Mandzukic on 54 minutes and moments later the Spaniard sent a chip towards the far post that Paulo Dybala turned onto the upright.
He said: “Mr Pellegrini is right”. The humbling defeat to Liverpool recently suggested that the back four needs an injection of energy, and thus, it may not be the last bid that City make for the enterprising full-back. “We’ll need to play well to win”. Joe is playing very well but Willy is also a very good goalkeeper.
“I made the decision to field Mandzukic a couple of days ago, we needed a player with his characteristics”, Allegri said in a touchline television interview. It was a 50-50 game and we had more chances than them.
Manuel Pellegrini, in contrary to his typical 4-2-3-1, chose to play a 4-5-1 to try and break down Juventus in Wednesday night’s Champions League fixture and paid the price for this change by losing 1-0 in Turin.
“Southampton won’t have to face Joe Hart, and with Vincent Kompany still out, will fancy their chances of extending their unbeaten away start”.
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Pellegrini confirmed that Silva could return against Southampton on Saturday after an ankle injury, but revealed that Kompany is at least two weeks away from recovering from a calf problem.
