Share

Pellegrini wants City back on track

Monchengladbach - Manchester City coach Manuel Pellegrini says his Premier League side must get their Champions League campaign back on track with a win at Bundesliga strugglers Borussia Moenchengladbach on Wednesday.

After getting off to a good start with five Premier League wins, City lost their opening Champions League game 2-1 at Juventus a fortnight ago and have lost both of their last two games including Saturday's 4-1 drubbing at Tottenham Hotspur.

"I don't think we have failed in Europe. We just lost a game against Juventus and now we have to try again," said Pellegrini.

"We need to qualify. Tomorrow is not the final but it is very important."

Hosts Gladbach have bounced back from five straight defeats with two wins under caretaker coach Andre Schubert, since Lucien Favre resigned ten days ago, but are still 14th in the Bundesliga.

They also lost their opening Champions League game when they crashed 3-0 at Sevilla.

Pellegrini has to cope with serious injury concerns with captain Vincent Kompany, Eliaquim Mangala, Gael Clichy, Fabian Delph and Wilfried Bony all out.

The loss of centre-back Kompany is arguably the biggest blow, but Pellegrini says they will cope, even though the Belgium international is unlikely to be fit for his country's Euro 2016 qualifiers against Andorra and Israel.

"Vincent is an important player but just one player doesn't make a difference," said Pellegrini.

"But I think it will be difficult for him to play for the national team next week."

Pellegrini had a minor mishap before the Citizens flight to Germany after revealing he took the wrong passport to the airport and had to rush home for the right one.

City's Belgium midfielder Kevin de Bruyne is back in Germany having only transferred from Wolfsburg last month having also spent a year on loan at Werder Bremen.

"I have good memories of playing in Germany, my time with Wolfsburg and Bremen was superb," said the 24-year-old who has discovered he will be a father for the first time.

"The level in both leagues is very high, even against teams in the relegation zone, you always have to give your all."

We live in a world where facts and fiction get blurred
Who we choose to trust can have a profound impact on our lives. Join thousands of devoted South Africans who look to News24 to bring them news they can trust every day. As we celebrate 25 years, become a News24 subscriber as we strive to keep you informed, inspired and empowered.
Join News24 today
heading
description
username
Show Comments ()
Voting Booth
Should the Proteas pick Faf du Plessis for the T20 World Cup in West Indies and the United States in June?
Please select an option Oops! Something went wrong, please try again later.
Results
Yes! Faf still has a lot to give ...
66% - 631 votes
No! It's time to move on ...
34% - 329 votes
Vote
Editorial feedback and complaints

Contact the public editor with feedback for our journalists, complaints, queries or suggestions about articles on News24.

LEARN MORE