Aguero has missed his side’s last two games with a heel problem while Kompany has not played since November with a calf injury and the pair are doubtful for the upcoming festive period, which includes a trip to fellow Premier League title contenders Arsenal.
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But manager Pellegrini, whose attacking philosophy is well known, does not care much for suggestions that his team need to how learn to win when not playing well.
Both Pellegrini and Aguero have played down the problem, but the 27-year-old also seems unlikely to return before the Premier League visit of Swansea on Saturday.
Manchester City manager Manuel Pellegrini has attempted to quell fears about his side’s form and the possibility of finishing second in Champions League Group D.
Manchester City’s Kevin De Bruyne admits Borussia Monchengladbach will generally find it tough to compete in the Champions League due to the selling nature of the club.
Lethargic City were punished by two first-half goals by Marko Arnautovic as Stoke claimed a deserved win and Pellegrini conceded his players were well below their best.
Combine that with Borussia Monchengladbach going 12 games without a loss since the previous clash, prevailing in eight of those and taking down four of their Bundesliga top-six companions in the process (Wolfsburg, Schalke, Hertha Berlin and Bayern Munich) and the case becomes stronger still.
“You can not have a conclusion after one game”. He just wants them to play better.
With Martin Demichelis ruled out by a tendon injury, it means a recall for Mangala for the first time since his horror show in the 4-1 home defeat by Liverpool. “There are a lot of things in the future we are not thinking about”.
However, speaking to the official Manchester City website, De Bruyne admitted that, despite a slow start to the season, their current run is not a massive surprise.
“If we don’t win, I think we qualify but not in the way we wanted”. With Juve wrapping up group play against already-eliminated Sevilla, the Italian team – which reached the Champions League final last season – is favored to top the group and therefore be more likely to avoid a top team in the last 16. It is a hard game because (we have had) too many games for the same players but we need to make an important effort to try and finish at the top of the group.
“I don’t think there’s a lack of leaders”, he added.
Aguero has missed City’s last two matches with an ankle injury but Pellegrini hopes he will be able to return to training soon.
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When City travelled to the Rhineland at the end of September, it was to face a very different Borussia Monchengladbach than the one they will encounter tonight.
