Mancini Aims For Big Finish

Manchester City go into the final match day in the group stages of the Champions League knowing European football after Christmas this season is not in their hands.

City are bottom of Group D without a win in the five games so far and already know they cannot progress into the last 16 of the competition.

Roberto Mancini's side are away to Borussia Dortmund and need to better Ajax's result at Real Madrid to finish third and claim a Europa League place.

Mancini said: "We are a good team. We are a good club. We want to play well and try to win. We have brought here all the players that are available. The other players that stay at home are injured.

"The players that are here will do everything to win this game. It will be difficult because I think in this moment Borussia are one of the best teams in Europe.

"Embarrassment for what, I don't know, but we are disappointed because we wanted to go to the second stage this year. I think in football you need to learn. If there are other teams that play better than you and deserve to go through, we should accept this.

"If we didn't play well, Borussia and Real Madrid played better than us - we should accept this and we will try better next year."

Mancini also accepted that qualifying for the Europa League doesn't lead to an easy fixture programme in the New Year.

He said: "It could be difficult because in the Europa League you play Thursdays and you don't have a lot of days to recover for the Premier League, but we need to try to stay in the Europa League."

Arsenal travel to Olympiakos in Group B having already secured their place in the last 16 of the Champions League, but top spot in the table has yet to be decided.

Arsene Wenger's side need to get a better result than Schalke achieve at Montpellier to finish top, but Arsenal have only won two of their last eight games.

Wenger said: "It is fashionable to have a go at Arsenal but this club is in fantastic shape. The situation is at the moment we are behind in the championship, we want to make ground back, we are qualified for 13 consecutive years in the Champions League, we are qualified in the quarter-finals of the Capital One Cup and we have our chances in the FA Cup like everyone else.

"We have many challenges and that is what we want to focus on. We can make up the distance in the league, but in the Champions League, you are either in or out."