Eliaquim Mangala: 'We have no choice but to improve in Champions League'

Manchester City centre-back Eliaquim Mangala has said that the team "has no choice" but to improve in the Champions League.

Having lost their opening match 1-0 at home to Juventus, City take on Borussia Monchengladbach in Germany on Wednesday night knowing that a defeat would leave their hopes of progressing to the last 16 hanging by a thread.

"I am convinced that we have to do better with the players we have here, because we want to help the club develop," the 24-year-old told UEFA.com.

"We have a well-defined project and we must do well, we have no choice. In the last few years we've stuck at the same level, and at some point, if you want to develop, you need to take a step forward, and that needs to happen on the pitch.

"We still have games left to qualify, so we shouldn't sound the alarm yet, we just have to show that Juventus was an off day, and keep on working on what we do well and get rid of what didn't go too well."

City have failed to progress past the first knockout round of the competition in four attempts since their return to European football in 2010, a run which has included failure at the group stage on two occasions.