• Champions League

Time for City to prove themselves in Europe, says Milner

James Milner believes Manchester City can compete with the best clubs in Europe © PA Photos

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James Milner believes Manchester City are now capable of making a big impression in the Champions League.

City will begin their latest challenge in Europe's elite competition against Bayern Munich at the Allianz Arena on Wednesday.

City reached the knockout stage of the tournament for the first time last season, after two previous group stage exits, and are now aiming higher.

"Year on year we should get better and we will keep improving the more experience we have as a group in the Champions League," Milner told UEFA.com. "It is a lot of games that we have played now, a lot that we have learnt over the years that we have been in it.

"So I think having won the Premier League a couple of times, and been fortunate enough to win every trophy domestically, we now want to prove ourselves on the European stage. And I believe we have a good enough team to do that."

Milner believes City have nothing to fear from Bayern, despite their illustrious reputation, as they are now familiar foes.

City were drawn in the same group as the German champions during the 2011-12 and 2013-14 seasons and Milner's memorable winner secured a 3-2 win against Bayern last December.

"We should know them pretty well," Milner added. "We have played them quite a lot over the last few years, even in friendlies. So we know they are a top team.

"We beat them at their place last year, so we should take a lot of confidence from that and go into the game with no fear, knowing that we have been there before and got three points."

One area where City's inexperience showed last season was in their misinterpretation of the goal difference rule.

They went into that game against Bayern knowing they had already qualified but not realising that by scoring one more goal, and winning 4-2, they could have topped the group.

That could potentially have earned City an easier tie in the first knockout round instead of coming up against another formidable opponent in Barcelona.

"You never get too far ahead, you look a game at a time and start there," Milner said. "Obviously we have to start well in the group and hopefully build from that. First and foremost you want to get out of the group. If we can win it as well, obviously that helps going forward.

"We obviously encountered a tough knockout stage last year from not quite getting that extra goal in Munich, which would have got us over the line and won us the group, so that is something to learn from as well."

However, Milner believes the manner of the victory, in which City recovered from 2-0 down, proved they can compete with the best clubs in Europe.

"We started the game terribly - first 15 minutes, I think [we were] 2-0 down," he said. "Playing against the European champions, I do not think there are many teams that would have come back from that. That would have been game done.

"But that shows the character and quality that we have in the squad. To have that mental strength to come back and win the game was massive."

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