AFP, Turin :
Manchester City were left facing the prospect of another unforgiving draw for the knockout phase of the Champions League after conceding their second successive defeat to Juventus in a 1-0 reverse on Wednesday.
A first-half strike from Mario Mandzukic saw Juventus, last season’s beaten finalists, into the last 16 after Massimiliano Allegri’s men produced a dominant display in Turin to drop City into second place in Group D at two points adrift.
City have never finished top of their Champions League qualifying group and last season were eliminated in the knockout round by Barcelona, who went on to beat Juventus in the Berlin final.
Manager Manuel Pellegrini put a positive spin on his side’s chances but few punters would bet against Juve not claiming at least a draw away to Sevilla next month having already given the Spaniards a footballing masterclass in a 2-0 victory in Turin last month.
“We have to see what Juventus will do against Sevilla. It will be a very difficult game they must play away. Sevilla have to win that game to try to qualify for the Europa League,” said Pellegrini.
