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Manchester City welcome Club Brugge to Etihad Stadium for their biggest game of the season, looking to avoid a catastrophic early exit from the UEFA Champions League.
City’s reality is simple. A victory would secure the 2022-23 champions a spot in the playoff round, a draw or a loss would end Manchester City’s European season in the group/league phase for the first time in 12 years. Never has Manchester City been under so much stress this early in the Champions League season since the arrival of Pep Guardiola.
Club Brugge are also fighting for their Champions League future. The Belgian side currently sits 20th in the standings and a point would suffice to secure a spot in the next round. A loss, though, would see City overtake them, and they would be at the mercy of other results to go through. Brugge arrive to England on the back of a 20-game unbeaten streak across all competitions, with their last defeat coming on Oct. 22 against AC Milan.
Guardiola won’t be able to utilize recent signings, Omar Marmoush and Abdukodir Khusanov because of UEFA’s regulations. If City makes it to the playoff round, then their new players will be able to feature from that round onwards. Jérémy Doku, Nathan Aké and Ruben Dias remain sidelined with injuries, so Guardiola will have a tight squad for this must-win game.
Here’s how Manchester City could line up vs. Club Brugge in the final round of the Champions League league phase.
GK: Ederson — The Brazilian goalkeeper will have to be at his best to keep City’s European hopes alive.
RB: Rico Lewis — Matheus Nunes has failed to impress in recent games, so Lewis will slide back into the right back position.
CB: John Stones — The England international will return to the lineup for the first time since Dec. 21.
CB: Manuel Akanji — Akanji will partner Stones in the heard of defense.
LB: Joško Gvardiol — The Croatian …
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