Resilient Brugge stand in Man City’s way in crucial Champions League encounter

Manchester City’s Champions League fate hangs in the balance as they host Club Brugge at the Etihad Stadium on Wednesday evening.

A campaign that started with expectations of another deep European run has instead left Pep Guardiola’s side at risk of an early exit.

Sitting 25th in the new league-phase format, City must secure all three points to reach the play-off round, while a draw or defeat would see them crash out.

Their task will not be straightforward. Brugge arrive in Manchester unbeaten in 20 matches across all competitions, needing only a point to progress.

Guardiola is under no illusions about the challenge his side will face.

“They haven’t lost a game in 20 games,” he said. “They are consistent, solid, aggressive, and don’t concede chances. We have to perform really well to win the game.”

Last week’s 4-2 defeat against Paris Saint-Germain left them outside the top 24 places, and their fate is no longer entirely in their own hands.

Despite their Champions League difficulties, City have regained momentum domestically.

A 3-1 win over Chelsea at the weekend extended their unbeaten Premier League run in 2025. However, they must now translate that form onto the European stage.

City’s previous meetings with Brugge offer encouragement. They cruised to 5-1 and 4-1 victories over the Belgian outfit in the 2021-22 group stage, but Guardiola has warned that this is a different side.

“I expect a tough opponent,” he added. “When a team is 20 games unbeaten, it is because they’re good. They are doing really well.

“Of course, there are weaknesses in every team, and you have to discover them and punish them.”

City will be without Jeremy Doku, who remains sidelined. Oscar Bobb could return to the squad after a lengthy absence. Guardiola remained coy about whether John Stones will be available.

The stakes could not be higher for City. Anything less than victory will mark their worst Champions League performance under Guardiola.

The financial implications of elimination would be significant, but the sporting challenge is the main focus for the City boss.

“I’m not naive enough not to know how important it is financially for the club,” Guardiola said. “But the sporting reasons are more important to me.”

With their European survival on the line, City must find a way past a resilient Brugge side.

Failure to do so will result in them making an unceremonious early exit from a competition they won two seasons ago.