Despite Manchester City’s dramatic defeat to PSG last week, their Champions League fate remains in their own hands. We look ahead to their do-or-die game at the Etihad Stadium with our Man City vs Club Brugge prediction and preview.
Man City vs Club Brugge Stats: The Key Insights
- The Opta supercomputer gives Manchester City a 63.8% chance of securing progression to the play-off round of the Champions League.
- Failure to win this game will see City eliminated from the competition.
- Pep Guardiola’s side have dropped eight points from winning positions in the Champions League this season, with only RB Leipzig (9) losing more.
- Club Brugge need just a point to qualify for the knockout stage play-offs.
Manchester City head into the final league phase matchday of the 2024-25 UEFA Champions League with a simple task: win, and they stay alive in the competition, with three points guaranteeing progression to the knockout stage play-offs.
Anything less than that will see them eliminated. Given that 24 of the 36 teams in the expanded league phase qualify, failure to progress for a team like City would be shocking.
They currently sit outside the top 24 places following a spectacular collapse on Matchday 7 away to Paris Saint-Germain. Jack Grealish and Erling Haaland struck early in the second half to give Man City a 2-0 lead. But then came a dramatic fightback from the home side, as PSG scored four unanswered goals to keep their own Champions League hopes alive.
Ousmane Dembélé, Bradley Barcola, João Neves and Gonçalo Ramos all scored as City faced a second-half siege in Paris. The 26 shots against City in that game was the most they’ve faced in a Champions League match since September 2012 (35 vs Real Madrid).
After another spectacular collapse earlier in the campaign against Feyenoord, drawing 3-3 after being 3-0 up, their defeat in Paris underscored the underlying fragility that has plagued City’s season. They have dropped eight points from winning positions in the Champions League this season, with only RB Leipzig (9) losing more.
Given that a win guarantees progression, City can take confidence from their formidable home record: they are unbeaten in their last 33 Champions League matches at the Etihad Stadium (W28 D5).
Club Brugge, who sit 20th in the table and three points above City, will qualify if they avoid defeat in Manchester. With their current 16-match unbeaten streak, they may fancy their chances. They extended that run at the weekend, albeit in a disappointing draw against relegation-battlers Kortrijk. Despite that setback, Nicky Hayen’s side remain firmly in the title hunt in the Belgian Pro League, sitting just three points off leaders Gent.
Their unbeaten run includes four impressive Champions League results against Aston Villa (1-0), Celtic (1-1), Sporting CP (2-1) and Juventus (0-0). Only once before have they enjoyed a longer undefeated streak in a single European Cup/Champions League campaign (five games in 1976-77). Brugge are no pushovers and have a lot riding on the outcome of this game.
Manchester City’s trio of new signings – Omar Marmoush, Abdukodir Khusanov and Vitor Reis – are ineligible to play. They will also be without Rúben Dias, who was injured against PSG. Nathan Aké remains a doubt, while Guardiola confirmed Jérémy Doku will be out as well.
Club Brugge have just one major concern for Wednesday’s contest: captain Hans Vanaken missed the weekend draw due to illness and is a slight doubt for the trip to Manchester.
Man City vs Club Brugge Head-to-Head
Manchester City have won both previous meetings with Club Brugge, winning 5-1 away and 4-1 at home during the 2021-22 Champions League group stage.
Club Brugge have never won away to English opposition in European competition in 14 previous attempts (D2 L12, including qualifiers). Only Anderlecht (19 games) and Dynamo Kyiv (15 games) have played more such games without ever recording a win in England.
Man City vs Club Brugge Prediction
The Opta supercomputer backs Man City to get the win they desperately need on Wednesday, rating their chances of making it into the play-off round at 63.8%.
Club Brugge have the safety net of a few teams between themselves and elimination, so even if they lose, a few other results will have to go against them if they were to drop down the table into 25th place or lower. The Opta supercomputer rates their chances of making the play-offs at a lofty 93.9%.
Man City vs Club Brugge Predicted Lineups
Opta Power Rankings
The Opta Power Rankings are a global team ranking system. They assign an ability score to over 13,000 domestic football teams. This score is on a scale between zero and 100, where zero is the worst-ranked team in the world and 100 is the best team in the world.
Ahead of kick-off on Wednesday, here are the Opta Power Rankings for both sides.
Man City vs Club Brugge Squads
Manchester City: Stefan Ortega, Ederson, Scott Carson, Ruben Dias, John Stones, Nathan Ake, Josko Gvardiol, Manuel Akanji, Joshua Wilson-Esbrand, Mateo Kovacic, Jack Grealish, Jeremy Doku, Rodri, Kevin De Bruyne, Ilkay Gündogan, Bernardo Silva, Savinho, Matheus Nunes, Phil Foden, James McAtee, Erling Haaland.
Head Coach: Pep Guardiola
Club Brugge: Dani van den Heuvel, Simon Mignolet, Nordin Jackers, Vince Osuji, Zaid Romero, Casper Hojer Nielsen, Hugo Siquet, Brandon Mechele, Maxim De Cuyper, Bi Yameogo, Amine Et-Taibi, Hugo Vetlesen, Raphael Onyedika, Hans Vanaken, Ardon Jashari, Philip Zinckernagel, Christos Tzolis, Ferran Jutglà, Gustaf Nilsson, Michal Skoras
Head Coach: Nicky Hayen
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