Joe Hart urges Manchester City to go all the way this time in the Champions League

Manchester City face Italian champions Juventus in Turin on Wednesday
Manuel Pellegrini’s side can secure top spot in Group D with a victory
It would enhance chances of avoiding one of Europe’s big guns in last 16

Published:
23:25 GMT, 24 November 2015

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Updated:
01:59 GMT, 25 November 2015

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Joe Hart calls it ‘our Champions League journey’ and it has often been a bumpy ride for Manchester City. More pain than gain in the competition their owners yearn to win.

On Wednseady night City can finish top of their group for the first time by beating Juventus, having qualified with two games to spare — no mean feat considering Manuel Pellegrini’s side lost their opening Group D fixture at home to Juve.

It would represent another milestone on that journey, another small increment towards meeting expectations in Abu Dhabi. From Hart’s point of view, however, City have to think big in the Champions League. They’re in it to win it.

Goalkeeper Joe Hart looks towards team-mate Willy Caballero at Manchester City’s Football Academy

Hart gets set for Manchester City’s clash with Juventus which will be broadcast live on BT Sport

Group D standings and remaining fixtures

‘We’ve got to have the mentality that we want to win the competition, that’s the only mentality we can have,’ said Hart. ‘We’ve got to be focused. We’re fighting in one of the toughest divisions in the world and we are up and around the top of it, so there’s no reason why we can’t compete on the European stage.

‘We’ve been given every tool required to do it. We’ve had a lot of backing, a lot of investment. It’s down to us as players. The only way we are going to keep our places and continue to be a part of it is if we do something like that.

‘We definitely need to go to the next level and make it through to a quarter-final or semi. It’s the first time we’ve had the carrot of winning the second to last game and topping the group. It’s all a new experience for us, but it’s moving in the right way and we want to continue that.’

Manchester City boss Manuel Pellegrini watches on as his players prepare for their Champions League clash

Manchester City’s players get put through their paces at the club’s training base on Tuesday morning

City have been more streetwise this season, coming from behind to beat Borussia Monchengladbach and Sevilla following that early defeat by Juventus. Their previous four Champions League campaigns ended with two exits at the group stage followed by a pair of defeats by Barcelona in the last 16.

Hart has produced some of his best performances on the biggest stage. Those against Borussia Dortmund, Real Madrid and Barcelona stick in the memory.

He said: ‘In such a small table of four teams, one or two bad results and you’re dead. We even took a bit of confidence out of the first game when we lost to Juventus. We dominated the game. Since then, we have become a little bit more ruthless. We have dug in when we needed to and not necessarily played pretty football, but we took chances at really important times.’

Kevin De Bruyne (right) and Bacary Sagna (centre) were among those in training before flying to Italy

Midfielder Yaya Toure (centre) keeps the ball up with Kelechi Iheanacho (left) during Tuesday’s session

Protecting the opposite goal tonight will be 37-year-old Gianluigi Buffon, who is set to move second behind Alessandro del Piero in Juventus’ all-time appearances list.

Hart, with 310 appearances, is still some way short of Alan Oakes’ best of 682 games for City but, at the age of 28, he may still have plenty of time.

‘I’d love to be a record breaker but that’s in an ideal world, with me continuing to play well and stay at this club, which is where I want to be,’ said Hart, an ambassador for BT Sport.

‘When you see someone like Buffon it definitely gives you encouragement. He’s a real inspiration. He’s a World Cup winner, he’s done the lot.’