Manchester City face Club Brugge ‘final’ in last shot at Champions League salvation

MANCHESTER – Manchester City have reached do-or-die territory in the Champions League earlier than expected ahead of what manager Pep Guardiola has described as a “final” against Club Brugge on Jan 29.

City have disproved the suggestion a new format to Europe’s elite club competition would remove any jeopardy for the top clubs, as Guardiola stares down the barrel of failing to make the Champions League knockout stages for the first time in his career.

The English Premier League champions have endured a torrid season, both in their league title defence and on the continent.

A run of one win in 13 games, which included Champions League defeats by Sporting Lisbon and Juventus, between October and December was the nadir of City’s fall from grace.

Guardiola’s men have since turned a corner in the Premier League, winning four of their last five games to climb back into the top four.

However, the deeper problems at the heart of City’s struggles were exposed on Jan 22 as Paris Saint-Germain roared back from 2-0 down to inflict a damaging 4-2 defeat on the 2023 champions.

The loss of Ballon d’Or winner Rodri to a season-ending knee injury in September has been a devastating blow and compounded by a series of fitness issues at centre-back, where Ruben Dias, Nathan Ake and John Stones have all missed large chunks of the campaign.

Former captain Kyle Walker shocked the club with a request to leave earlier in January before joining AC Milan on loan.

All of these issues have forced City to rip up their initial plans and spend big in the January transfer window.

More than £120 million (S$202 million) has already been splashed on Egypt forward Omar Marmoush and young defenders Vitor Reis and Abdukodir Khusanov.

However, that trio will not be able to help against Belgian champions Brugge, who have not lost in 20 games in all competitions, as they are not eligible for this stage of the Champions League.

“We would not be doing it if our players were fit but today I think we have two central defenders, no more than that, and with our holding midfielders we are struggling,” said Guardiola of the January splurge.

“After eight years together, we have so many players who are more than 30 years old and the other reason is the amount of problems we have with players’ availability. It is an absolutely normal process.”

City sit 25th in the 36-team table and must finish in the top 24 to avoid elimination. But victory will guarantee progress, as Brugge sit three points above them with an inferior goal difference.

Despite their issues, some of Europe’s top clubs will be watching events closely at the Etihad, hoping City do not scrape through only to hit their stride in the knockout phase. Bookmakers still have them as sixth favourites for the competition behind Liverpool, Real Madrid, Arsenal, Barcelona and Bayern Munich.

Ake and Dias could be back for the play-off round in February, while Marmoush, who has 20 goals and 14 assists in 27 games across all competitions for Eintracht Frankfurt this season, would be free to play in the next round.

Guardiola is confident his side will eventually rekindle their former glories.

“There are seasons where there are a lot of difficulties. It’s (about) how you stand up to it,” he said.

“When Rodri is here, when the defenders are here, when many players are here, we will not be 25th in the Champions League. Sometimes when you experience these situations and then you achieve, it is a bigger success.”

But after winning just two of their opening seven Champions League games, they have no margin for error left if they are to avoid an embarrassing early exit.

Elsewhere, reigning champions Real, last season’s runners-up Borussia Dortmund, Bayern and Juventus are all still hoping to clamber into the top eight, but are already guaranteed to at least be in the play-off round.

Liverpool, with a perfect record, and Barcelona are the only two teams to have already guaranteed a place in the last 16 after seven games in the league phase.

Arsenal, Inter Milan, Atletico Madrid, AC Milan, Atalanta and Bayer Leverkusen occupy the other six spots for now, but so much could change on the final night.

After all, Stuttgart in 24th position are only three points behind Leverkusen in eighth, with 15 sides in between them.

In fact, nine of the 36 teams will come into the final match day still fighting to secure qualification for the next phase, including former European Cup winners PSV Eindhoven and Benfica. AFP