Manchester City’s Champions League fate hangs in the balance. As they prepare for a crucial showdown with Club Brugge at the Etihad Stadium, the equation is brutally simple: win, or they’re out. A victory guarantees a place in the knockout stage play-offs. Anything less would mean a humiliating early exit from Europe’s biggest stage.
It’s an unthinkable scenario for Pep Guardiola’s men, who just weeks ago seemed on course for a comfortable qualification. But a dramatic collapse against Paris Saint-Germain on Matchday 7 has left them teetering on the edge.
City led 2-0 in Paris after goals from Jack Grealish and Erling Haaland, only to be blown away by a relentless PSG onslaught, conceding four second-half goals. It was the latest in a series of concerning late-game meltdowns—earlier in the competition, they surrendered a 3-0 lead to Feyenoord, drawing 3-3.
No team in this year’s tournament has dropped more points from winning positions than City, a worrying sign of vulnerability in a side used to controlling games.
Yet, if there’s one place they can rely on, it’s home. City are unbeaten in their last 33 Champions League matches at the Etihad (W28 D5), a fortress that has seen European giants fall time and again. That record will be put to the test by a confident Club Brugge side who arrive in Manchester on a 16-match unbeaten streak.
Sitting 20th in the expanded league phase standings—three places above City—the Belgian side know that a draw is enough to send them through.
Nicky Hayen’s men may not have the star power of their opponents, but they are no strangers to defying expectations. Their European campaign has been built on resilience, with impressive results against Aston Villa (1-0), Celtic (1-1), Sporting CP (2-1), and Juventus (0-0). Only once before—in 1976-77—have they enjoyed a longer unbeaten run in the competition.
Despite a frustrating weekend draw against relegation-threatened Kortrijk, they remain firmly in the Belgian Pro League title race.
City will be without Rúben Dias, while Nathan Aké remains doubtful. Jérémy Doku is also ruled out, and new signings Omar Marmoush, Abdukodir Khusanov, and Vitor Reis are ineligible. Brugge’s biggest concern is captain Hans Vanaken, who missed their last match due to illness.
For Guardiola and his players, the stakes couldn’t be higher. Failure to progress in a competition where 24 of 36 teams advance would be a disaster for a club of City’s stature.
