Manchester City vs Club Brugge

Etihad Stadium sets the stage for a ‘make or break’ Champions League match-up between Manchester City and Club Brugge.

Manchester City’s quest to secure a place in the Champions League playoffs hangs by a thread as they sit narrowly off the top 24 ahead of the final round. Pep Guardiola’s side squandered a two-goal cushion in a dismal 4-2 defeat at Paris Saint-Germain in the previous round, making it three losses from their last four Champions League outings (D1). However, the Citizens bounced back with a 3-1 home victory against domestic rivals Chelsea at the weekend, extending their decent run to just one defeat from their last eight competitive matches (W5, D2). Man City can draw further confidence from their imperious Champions League form at the Etihad, where they’ve not lost any of their last 33 such fixtures ((W28, D5), suggesting an all-important win should be a mere formality.

As for Club Brugge, avoiding defeat in Manchester would almost certainly guarantee progression into the playoffs. The visitors take this trip in a buoyant mood after stringing together a four-game unbeaten streak in the Champions League (W2, D2). Another game without losing would see the Belgian outfit equal their longest-ever undefeated run at Europe’s top table dating back to 1976/77. However, achieving that feat hinges on Club Brugge defying history as they’ve never won an away match against English opposition in UEFA competition, suffering 12 defeats from 14 previous visits to the country (D2). They could perhaps take heart from going unbeaten in all seven competitive away games since the start of November (W4, D3).