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Attendance: 29,385
Dinamo Zagreb
Champions League | Group Stage
Dec 11, 2019 at 5.55pm UK
 
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Olmo (10')
FT(HT: 1-1)
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Ilkay Gundogan: 'Manchester City need to stick together'

Ilkay Gundogan: 'Manchester City need to stick together'
© Reuters
City's hopes of winning a third-successive Premier League title already seem in ruins after falling 14 points behind leaders Liverpool.

Ilkay Gundogan concedes Manchester City have lost some focus but has challenged his team-mates to get back to their best.

City's hopes of winning a third-successive Premier League title already seem in ruins after falling 14 points behind leaders Liverpool.

Saturday's derby loss to Manchester United was already their fourth defeat of their league campaign, a rude awakening for a side that clocked up 198 points during their back-to-back title successes of 2018 and 2019.

Midfielder Gundogan said: "I think it's normal we are going through this period but the only way out is to stick together and try to come back to what we've done in the past.

Ilkay Gundogan
Ilkay Gundogan challenged Manchester City to get back to their best (PA Video)

"Every single player has to take responsibility to reach his best level again. The sooner we can do that the sooner we'll be successful again. It's a challenge and we have to accept it.

"In general, in life, if you are successful and have won so many things, sometimes you lose focus during that period.

"But the more defeats you have the more you recognise that's not really the way you want to end up and you want to improve again and get to the level you were.

"It's now the challenge to bounce back as quickly as possible."

Gundogan was speaking at a press conference in Croatia ahead of Wednesday's final Champions League Group C game against Dinamo Zagreb.

The pressure is off City at the Maksimir Stadium having already secured their place in the last 16 and top spot in the group.

The challenge will come for City when the knockout stages begin in trying to transpose their domestic dominance of recent years onto the European stage.

"Winning domestic titles doesn't guarantee winning the Champions League," said Gundogan.

"The Champions League is a totally different completion compared to the Premier League. It's so tough to get through the group stages and the knockout stages are getting tougher and tougher.

"It's something we target but also something difficult to achieve. We'll try our best and see how far we come this season."

City will need to change both their central defenders from the derby defeat with John Stones ruled out with a hamstring injury and Fernandinho suspended.

Eric Garcia, 18, is poised to start alongside Nicolas Otamendi and 19-year-old Phil Foden will also get an opportunity with David Silva another injury absentee. Sergio Aguero is still out with a groin problem.

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John Stones sits injured for Man City on December 7, 2019
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League Phase

TeamPWDLPTS
1Liverpool440012
2Sporting Lisbon431010
3Brest431010
4Inter Milan431010
5Monaco431010
6Barcelona43019
7Dortmund43019
8Aston Villa43019
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11Lille42117
12Man City42117
13Arsenal42117
14B. Leverkusen42117
15Celtic42117
16Dinamo Zagreb42117
17AC Milan42026
18Bayern42026
19Benfica42026
20Feyenoord42026
21Real Madrid42026
22Brugge42026
23Atletico42026
24PSV41215
25Sparta Prague41124
26Stuttgart41124
27PSG41124
28Shakhtar41124
29Girona41033
30Salzburg41033
31Bologna40131
32RB Leipzig40040
33Sturm Graz40040
34Young Boys40040
35Red Star40040
36Slovan Bratislava40040


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