Pep Guardiola is convinced that Man City will clinch their spot in the Champions League knockout rounds by beating Club Brugge. Anything less would mean City miss the knockouts for the first time since 2012-13; so they absolutely must win at the Etihad Stadium on Wednesday to assure themselves a place in the top 24 of the league phase list. Guardiola spoke in a press conference and underlined his team’s chances, stressing that although the circumstances call for a win, it is more of an opportunity than a worry.
City’s Struggles And The Battle For Knockout Qualification
Currently outside the top 24, Man City has only taken two of their seven league phase matches, so their Champions League chances seem somewhat doubtful. They need to end between 9th and 24th to guarantee a berth in the round of 16; this would bring only a two-legged playoff with it. Meanwhile, Club Brugge stay one of only two teams that could by numbers end within the top eight, qualify for the knockout playoffs, or run into elimination. Club Brugge have won important road games against Aston Villa and Sporting CP as well as a vital home tie against Juventus and are sitting 20th in the table.
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Guardiola And Gvardiol Eye Must-Win Clash
Though Pep Guardiola admitted the stress, he remained positive and said such high-stakes matches were par for the course in the Champions League. Though he confessed City have not played at their typical level, he stressed that the difficulty is one they have already encountered. Though they have problems, City will draw consolation from their 3-1 win over Chelsea in the Premier League last Saturday. Emphasizing the need of the battle, center-back Josko Gvardiol called it a “final” for the team as they seek to qualify. He also admitted Brugge’s quality and emphasized that City can’t underestimating their opponent.
