Manchester City got straight back to business after their disappointing Champions League exit as the squad remained in Barcelona overnight and held a session at Espanyol 's training ground on Thursday . Manuel Pellegrini 's side were dumped out by Barcelona after a 1-0 defeat at the Nou Camp on Wednesday night but were put through their paces ahead of a return to Premier League action . The champions host West Bromwich Albion at the Etihad on Saturday lunchtime as they bid to get their title challenge back on track after a shock defeat by Burnley last weekend . Manchester City players trained in Spain on Thursday following their Champions League exit the night before . The City squad are put through their exercises at Espanyol 's training ground in Barcelona . The players were given no time to mull over their European exit after they were taught a lesson over two legs to find themselves on the wrong end a 3-1 aggregate result . After such a commanding performance by the La Liga leaders captain Vincent Kompany was forced to admit that Manchester City are still a long way behind the very best in Europe . 'The reality is they were a better team , there is no shame in admitting that . For me there is a big , big difference . ' I will just mention Bayern Munich and Barcelona , and then there are the rest of the teams , with Real Madrid probably in between . 'Ultimately we have always said our goal is to become as good as them , but it will take some time . They are really good . Goalkeeper Joe Hart and captain Vincent Kompany train ahead of their Premier League return on Saturday . Samir Nasri shares a joke as Manuel Pellegrini 's side prepare to face West Brom at the Etihad on Saturday . 'Bayern Munich and Barcelona are not just Champions League-winning teams , they are World Cup-winning teams as well . They have generations that have played together a long time . 'Of course we want to make up the gap but you just have to be true to yourself . We have the ambition to be as good as they are one day , but it is not going to happen overnight . ' City 's exit meant that England will not have a representative in the quarter-finals of the Champions League for the second time in three seasons . 'The gap will eventually get closer , ' said Kompany . 'Whether it is Arsenal , Chelsea , ( Manchester ) United , the gap will become closer and I just hope it is us that gets there the first . ' Kompany and Hart , who produced a fine goalkeeping display against Barca , take a break from training . City were outplayed in the first leg at the Etihad Stadium three weeks ago but had hoped Hart 's late penalty save , which kept the score 2-1 , might have proved the tie 's turning point . It proved anything but as Barca dominated from the outset , hitting the post within moments through Neymar . Messi was at his inspirational best , setting up Ivan Rakitic 's 31st-minute goal and generally running City ragged . It was remarkable the scoreline stayed at 1-0 , with Luis Suarez also hitting the woodwork twice and England goalkeeper Hart producing a series of stunning saves in one of the best performances of his career . City might have made the latter stages interesting had Sergio Aguero not had a penalty saved by Marc-Andre ter Stegen but they could complain little about the result . Ivan Rakitic beat Joe Hart with a brilliant lob over the City keeper to give Barcelona a 1-0 win at the Nou Camp . The Croatia midfielder celebrates with his team-mates after opening the scoring the hosts . Asked about Hart 's display , centre-back Kompany said : 'It was phenomenal . On that side of the pitch I felt we had all the luck we needed to get a result . 'It was probably just the penalty - if we had scored a goal it could have been a different game . It would have been a great way to get back into the tie and it would have been interesting to see what the last 15 minutes would have been like back at 1-1 . 'If you want to win against those teams you need a very special performance and a little bit of luck on your side . Then you can beat them , but every team can lose . There is no shame . ' Despite progress always seeming unlikely , the defeat is another blow to City 's morale after an indifferent spell in the Barclays Premier League . VIDEO Pellegrini disappointed after Champions League exit . Manchester City 's players leave the Nou Camp looking glum after being eliminated . Messi tries to take the ball around the onrushing Manchester City goalkeeper Hart . Having fallen six points behind Chelsea , who have a game in hand , it now seems unlikely City can retain their title and their season is in danger of fizzling out . They could even face a battle to hold onto second place as the likes of Arsenal , Liverpool and Manchester United gear up for a strong finish . Kompany is determined to ensure that does not happen . The 28-year-old said : 'Forget about Chelsea . We owe it to ourselves , to our fans to have a good end to this campaign . Then again if we finish this campaign as good as we can , maybe there is still something in it . We will have to see . 'It is not in our hands by any means , but we just have to go back and work hard and improve . '
Manchester City were knocked out of Europe by Barcelona on Wednesday . City stayed in Spain overnight and arrived at Espanyol on Monday . City return to Premier League action against West Brom on Saturday . Vincent Kompany admits they are way behind the best teams in Europe . note : Frank Lampard breaks record for most Champions league knockout stage appearances . CLICK HERE for all the latest Manchester City news .