• Home
  • Sports
  • Manchester City Face Brugge ‘final’ in the last chance in the salvation of the Champions League | Soccer News

Manchester City Face Brugge ‘final’ in the last chance in the salvation of the Champions League | Soccer News

Manchester City Face Brugge ‘final’ in the last chance in the salvation of the Champions League | Soccer News

0:00




Manchester City has reached the territory of DO-OR-DIE in the Champions League earlier than expected before what Pep Guardiola has described as a “final” against the Brugge club on Wednesday. City has refuted the suggestion of a new format to the competition of the best clubs in Europe would eliminate any danger to the best clubs, since Guardiola looks at the barrel not to make the stages of elimination of the Champions League for the first time in his career . The English champions have suffered a torrid season both in their defense for the title of the Premier League and in the continent.

A streak of a victory in 13 games, which included defeats to the Sporting Lisbon Champions League and Juventus, between October and December was the Nadir of the Fall of the City of Grace.

Since then, Guardiola’s men have folded a corner in the Premier League, winning four of their last five games to return to the first four.

But the deepest problems in the heart of the city’s struggles were exposed last week when Paris Saint-Germain roared 2-0 down to inflict a harmful defeat 4-2 in the 2023 champions.

The loss of the winner of Ballon d’Or Rodri due to a knee injury that ended the season in September has been a devastating blow and has been aggravated by a series of physical conditioning problems in the center, where Ruben Dias, Nathan Ake and John Stones have lost large large pieces. of the campaign.

Former Captain Kyle Walker surprised the club with a request to go earlier this month before joining AC Milan on loan.

All of which has forced City to destroy its initial plans and spend large in the January transfer window.

More than 120 million pounds ($ 150 million) have already been splashed in the striker of Egypt Omar Marmous and the young defenders Vitor Reis and Abdukodir Khusanov.

However, that trio will not be able to help against the Belgian champions Brugge, who have not lost in 21 games in all competitions, since 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 midfielders we are fighting,” Guardiola said of January’s waste.

“After eight years together, we have so many players who are over thirty years old and the other reason is the number of problems we have with the availability of the players. It is an absolutely normal process.”

Guardiola Eyes ‘greatest success’

The city sits 25 at the 36 -team table and must end in the top 24 to avoid elimination.

But victory will guarantee progress since Brugge sits three points above them with a lower goals difference.

Despite their problems, some of the best clubs in Europe will see events closely at the Etihad stadium with the hope that the city will not be scraped only to reach the elimination phase.

Betting corridors still have them as sixth favorites for competition behind Liverpool, Real Madrid, Arsenal, Barcelona and Bayern Munich.

Ake and Dias could return for the playoffs round next month, while Marmoush, who scored 20 goals for Eintracht Frankfurt this season, would be free to play in the next round.

Guardiola is confident that his team will eventually revive his old glories.

“There are seasons in which there are many difficulties. It is (on) how it defends itself,” he said.

“When Rodri is here, when the defenders are here, when many players are here, we will not be 25 in the Champions League.

“Sometimes, when you experience these situations and then you succeed, it’s a greater success.”

But after winning only two of their first seven games of the Champions League, they have no margin of error if they are going to avoid a shameful early exit.

(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and was automatically generated from a union feed).

Topics mentioned in this article

Source link

Releated Posts

Sri Lanka, Failed To Qualify For Champions Trophy 2025, Whitewash Australia In ODI Series | Cricket News

0:00 Sri Lanka spinner Dunith Wellalage took four wickets to give a hapless Australia their lowest…

ByByAmlanFeb 14, 2025

Babar Azam Soars Past Kohli, Eyes Historic ODI Milestone

0:00 Babar’s Blitz: Pakistan’s Run Machine Blazes Through ODI History From the lush greens of the National Stadium,…

ByByAmlanFeb 14, 2025

R Ashwin’s Precise Analysis: Altruism or Egoism in Rohit Sharma’s Leadership Style

0:00 “Captain Rohit: The Silent Innovator Who’s Reshaping Indian Cricket” Within the hallowed halls of Indian cricket, where…

ByByAmlanFeb 14, 2025

Pakistan Deemed Favorites for Champions Trophy Triumph, According to 2017 Champion Skipper

0:00 Pakistan’s Title Defense: A Legacy to Uphold In the hallowed halls of cricket’s memory, Pakistan’s 2017 Champions…

ByByAmlanFeb 14, 2025
Scroll to Top