Manchester City boss Manuel Pellegrini has revealed that he never felt like his team would be going out of the Champions League at the group stage this year.
The Citizens survived an early scare to survive the group stage, finishing second in Group E behind leaders Bayern Munich.
And as they prepare to host Barcelona in a round of 16 match tomorrow, Pellegrini reveals that his team never for a moment panicked or thought they were going out of the Champions League.
The Chilean insisted that his team had the faith to continue fighting until the end because that is what the Sky Blues are known for doing.
And that was precisely what they did, as they won their last two group stage matches against Bayern Munich and Roma, to secure a place in the round of 16 stage.
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"We never thought we were out of the Champions League", Pellegrini said at a press conference, via his club's feed.
"We had the trust to continue to fight until the end. This team will always try to do it."
Pellegrini also took time to speak about the disappointment of not having played well against Roma and CSKA Moscow at home, but credited his team for having shown quality towards the end.
"We didn't play well, especially here at home against Roma and CSKA Moscow, but our team showed the personality and quality to qualify."
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