Raphael Durand
Dailysports's expert
One of the matches of the 8th round of the Champions League group stage will be played on Wednesday at the Etihad, where Manchester City will host Club Brugge. I suggest betting on the outcome of this match with good chances of success.
Match preview
Manchester City suffered their third defeat in this Champions League campaign in the last round, losing 2:4 to PSG away, despite leading by two goals. This defeat marked their fourth consecutive match without a win in the group stage.
Due to this unfortunate run, Pep Guardiola's team has dropped to 25th place in the standings, trailing the knockout stage zone by two points. They must win in the final round to secure their place in the next stage of the tournament. The City team enters this match after a 3:1 home win against Chelsea.
Meanwhile, Club Brugge continues to impress with their unbeaten streak in the Champions League, not losing for four consecutive matches. During this period, they secured wins over Aston Villa (1:0) and Sporting (2:1), as well as draws against Juventus (0:0) and Celtic (1:1).
The Belgian team is currently in 20th place with 11 points and has a chance to progress to the next round if they avoid defeat in England. However, their attacking performance is modest, with only six goals scored in the Champions League. Brugge has not lost in 5 of their last 6 Champions League matches, winning 3 and drawing 2. On the weekend, they drew 1:1 at home against Kortrijk.
Probable lineups
- Manchester City: Stefan Ortega – John Stones, Rico Lewis, Josko Gvardiol, Manuel Akanji – Mateo Kovacic, Bernardo Silva – Kevin De Bruyne, Phil Foden, Savio – Erling Haaland.
- Club Brugge: Simon Mignolet – Maxim De Cuyper, Brandon Mechele, Joel Ordóñez, Kérian Sabbe – Raphael Onyedika, Ardon Jashari – Ferran Jutglà, Hans Vanaken, Chemsdine Talbi – Christos Tzolis.
Match facts and head-to-head
- The teams met in the autumn of 2021, when Manchester City won both matches.
- In both games, the "Both teams to score" and "Total over 2.5" bets were successful.
- The "Total over 2.5" bet played in three of Brugge's last five matches.
Prediction
Manchester City must secure their place in the next round, and Brugge is a suitable opponent for this task. Our bet for the match is "Manchester City to win with a handicap (-1.5)" at odds of 1.60.
