City have already qualified for the knockout stage but would need to beat Borussia Monchengladbach and hope Group D leaders Juventus lose their away game in Seville in order to finish top and avoid the European heavyweights in the last 16.
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City have fared badly – twice being drawn against Barcelona – after finishing as group runners-up in the past but Pellegrini looked on the positive side.
“Gol sbagliato, gol subito” – when you miss a goal, you soon concede one – is a saying in Italy and that phrase was borne out as Juve took the lead two minutes later, Mandžukić volleying in a left-wing cross from Alex Sandro.
Caballero played under City boss Manuel Pellegrini at Malaga but has been unable to dislodge Hart – the Juventus cameo standing as his 11th senior appearance since moving to the Etihad Stadium before the 2014-15 season.
City spurned a great chance in a bright start to the second half when Fernando rose above the Juve defence at a corner to fire in a header which Buffon turned onto the post and then smothered while under pressure from Martin Demichelis. Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester United must do it in the last game and that is hard when you have to play so many games in December.
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“We have a fantastic squad and I think we were unlucky to be honest”.
David Silva has a chance of bring fit for the weekend against Southampton, but Vincent Kompany out for another two weeks.
“He has a problem with his hamstring and has had a problem in his back for the past week”.
Pellegrini said: “We are going to have seven or eight players injured”.
“It’s never easy to win a Champions League game”.
“It’s part of football – to win, you have to score goals – but we missed chances and these things can happen”. The more games a team plays in the Champions League the more experience they accrue and the wiser they become to the differing tactics and strategies of other clubs.
“Big teams, they control the midfield, and we were playing two against four, two against five sometimes and it just… we always struggled to handle it like anybody would”.
It is unknown as of yet the extent of this injury, but City will be hoping it isn’t too severe, and the English goalkeeper made several outstanding stops against Juventus.
“We have to see what Juventus will do against Sevilla”, said Pellegrini, who also complained that his defender Nicolas Otamendi was fouled by Mandzukic before the Croatian scored.
Mandzukic was denied a second by a brilliant one-handed save from Hart as he met Paulo Dybala’s nod down with a firm shot.
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“Jay had the surgery last Tuesday and we are happy about that, because that was the best to do”.
