Manchester City midfielder Kevin De Bruyne has played down the significance of finishing second in their Champions League group.
City guaranteed their place in the last 16 with a 1-1 draw against Borussia Monchengladbach on Wednesday night, although Barcelona's 2-0 triumph over Celtic means that Pep Guardiola's side will be forced to settle for second place in Group C.
Finishing as runners-up leaves City more vulnerable to a tough draw in the last 16, but De Bruyne pointed out that they would have to beat big teams anyway if they are to go all the way and win the competition.
"If you want to go to the end you need to try to beat them all. You will get a tough opponent anyway," he told reporters.
"If you are first or second it doesn't really matter as every group has two really good teams who are going to qualify. It is very good that we did it in five games, so we don't have to have more nerves for the last game.
"I think it is very good that we have a game where there is nothing at stake, so maybe we can change some people because there is obviously still a tough schedule to go."
City's final group game comes at home to Celtic in a fortnight.
Barney Corkhill
