Sevilla coach Jorge Sampaoli hailed Samir Nasri as a player at the height of his game after the on-loan Manchester City midfielder secured a 1-0 Champions League win over Dinamo Zagreb on Tuesday.

Nasri scored the only goal of the game - and his third since making the move from the Etihad Stadium - to clinch the points for the LaLiga side.

The victory means Sevilla can seal progression to the last 16 by beating Dinamo in the reverse fixture at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan, providing Juventus can overcome Lyon for the second successive game.

"Nasri is performing and showing how good he is. He is a player at the height of his game, and he is getting us through the games," Sampaoli told a post-match media conference.

"We deserved more goals, but in these games if you don't have success you cannot afford mistakes.

"If we are not strong it will be difficult to compete with better teams. With the passage of time, I hope to improve this."

Sevilla, who are third in LaLiga, host leaders Atletico Madrid on Saturday.