Manchester City vs Club Brugge: Preview and Prediction

Manchester City will host Club Brugge at the Etihad in a UEFA Champions League tie on Wednesday night, eager to finish in the top 24.

Manchester City were beaten by PSG in their last UEFA Champions League outing, and they will be desperate to get back to winning ways in Europe vs Club Brugge on Wednesday. Pep Guardiola’s men have picked up just two wins in the Champions League so far, and it will be interesting to see if they can bounce back here.

Meanwhile, Club Brugge are coming into this game on the back of two consecutive draws, and it will be interesting to see if they can grind out a positive result away from home. Manchester City have done well against Club Brugge in the past with two wins out of two against the Belgian outfit.

The Premier League champions will look to continue their impressive run of form against Wednesday’s opposition and grind out all three points here. The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at the encounter ahead of the upcoming meeting between the two sides.

Team News & Tactics

Manchester City

Manchester City will be without Rodri due to his season-ending knee injury. Oscar Bobb misses out due to a leg injury, Nathan Ake is recovering from a thigh injury, Ruben Dias has a groin issue, and Jeremy Doku has an undisclosed problem.

Manchester City will shape up in a 4-1-4-1 formation vs Club Brugge, with Ederson Moraes in goal. Rico Lewis and Josko Gvardiol will start as the full-backs, and they will look to contribute at both ends of the pitch. Manuel Akanki will form the central defensive pairing alongside John Stones.

As for the midfield unit, llkay Gundogan will add defensive cover and composure to the side. Kevin De Bruyne and Bernardo Silva will be deployed as the advanced midfielders, and they will look to create goalscoring opportunities for their teammates.

Savinho and Phil Foden will start in the wide areas, and they will add ingenuity and flair to the side. Finally, Erling Haaland will spearhead the Manchester City attack vs Club Brugge on Wednesday night.

Probable Lineup (4-1-4-1): Ederson; Lewis, Akanji, Stones, Gvardiol; Gundogan; Savinho, De Bruyne, Silva, Foden; Haaland

Club Brugge

Club Brugge have a fully fit squad to choose from, and they are likely to shape up in a 4-2-3-1 formation vs Manchester City on Wednesday.

Simon Mignolet will start in goal, behind a back four of Kyriani Sabbe, Joel Ordonez, Brandon Mechele, and Maxim De Cuyper. Sabbe and De Cuyper will help out defensively and look to hit Manchester City on the break as well.

As for the midfield unit, Raphael Onyedika and Ardon Jashari will add control, composure and defensive cover to the side from the middle of the park. Hugo Vetlesen and Christos Tzolis will start in the wide areas.

The duo will look to add pace, flair and goals to the side. Hans Vanaken will reprise the no. 10 role, and he will look to link the midfield with the attack. Finally, Gustaf Nilsson will lead the line Club Brugge vs Manchester City on Wednesday.

Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Mignolet; Sabbe, Ordonez, Mechele, Cuyper; Jashari, Onyedika; Vetlesen, Vanaken, Tzolis; Nilsson

Key Stats

  • Manchester City are winless in their last UEFA four Champions League outings.
  • Club Brugge are unbeaten in five of their last six UEFA Champions League outings.
  • Manchester City have won their last two matches vs Club Brugge, scoring nine goals in the process.
  • Club Brugge are unbeaten in their last four outings.
  • Manchester City are unbeaten in five of their last six outings.

Player to Watch

Erling Haaland

Embed from Getty Images

The Norwegian international is in excellent form right now, and he has found the back of the net six times in his last six outings. He will look to continue his impressive run of form and get on the score sheet here once again.

Haaland has six goals in seven UEFA Champions League outings this season, and he could cause all sorts of problems for the away side. Manchester City will need him to step up and deliver if they want to grind out all three points here. The 24-year-old could make a defining impact here.

Prediction

Manchester City 3-1 Club Brugge

Manchester City will be the firm favourites to grind out a victory here, and they should be able to find a way past tomorrow’s opposition. The Belgian outfit will look to make life difficult for the home team.

However, Manchester City have enough attacking quality to get the job done. They should be able to pick up their third win of the Champions League campaign this week. The Hard Tackle predicts a 3-1 win for Pep Guardiola and his charges, although the result might not be enough to qualify for the top 24.

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