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Champions League: James Milner says Manchester City's aim is to win competition

James Milner Manchester City
Image: James Milner: Manchester City midfielder aiming to win Champions League

James Milner believes Manchester City are now ready to compete on the European stage ahead of their opening UEFA Champions League group game.

City are competing in the Champions League for the fourth consecutive season and start their latest campaign away to Bayern Munich on Wednesday.

The club’s first two forays into the competition were ended at the group stage before City lost to Barcelona in the first knockout round last season.

After winning the Premier League title for the second time in three years last term, Milner feels City are slowly getting into a position to eventually win the Champions League.

"Being the club that we are, and with the players that we have, winning it is the ultimate aim,” said Milner.

"When I first started here it was new to us as a club, new to us as a team. Individual players had played in it before, but it's completely different when you're playing in it as a group.

"Year on year we should get better and we'll keep on improving with the more experience we have as a group in the Champions League.

More from Bayern Munich V Man City

We've played a lot of games in the competition now, we've learned a lot over the years and having won the Premier League a couple of times now, 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.
James Milner

"We've played a lot of games in the competition now, we've learned a lot over the years and having won the Premier League a couple of times now, 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.

"If you look at the players we've brought in again, we've made some top-quality signings, there's competition all over the field.

"If there are injuries or suspensions, which you're bound to get during a season, I don't think you're really going to weaken the side whatever team the manager picks because there's so much quality."

City also face Roma and CSKA Moscow in Group E and Milner is aware the initial target for Manuel Pellegrini’s side is to finish in the top two.

The midfielder added: "We can't get ahead of ourselves. The first aim is to get out of the group and build from there.

"People take it as a given sometimes that the English teams will go through. We've been unfortunate to have tough groups - that seems to be the norm for us - but it's the Champions League.

"There are a few teams in there that people will look at on paper and say it's an easy game, those sides from pot four, but they're in the Champions League for a reason. You have to be on top of your game to even get out of the group."

Watch Bayern Munich v Manchester City live on Sky Sports 5 at 7.45pm on Wednesday.

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