City's Goal Is Clear - Beat Brugge In 'Final'

Guardiola's men, sitting in 25th, have to win to reach Champions League play-off round

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Manchester City have reached do-or-die territory in the Champions League earlier than expected ahead of what manager Pep Guardiola has described as a "final" against Club Brugge on Jan 29.

City have disproved the suggestion a new format to Europe's elite club competition would remove any jeopardy for the top clubs, as Guardiola stares down the barrel of failing to make the Champions League knockout stages for the first time in his career.

The English Premier League champions have endured a torrid season, both in their league title defence and on the continent.

A run of one win in 13 games, which included Champions League defeats by Sporting Lisbon and Juventus, between October and December was the nadir of City's fall from grace.

Guardiola's men have since turned a corner in the Premier League, winning four of their last five games to climb back into the top four.

However, the deeper problems at the heart of City's struggles were exposed on Jan 22 as Paris Saint-Germain roared back from 2-0 down to inflict a damaging 4-2 defeat on the 2023 champions.

The loss of Ballon d'Or winner Rodri to a season-ending knee injury in September has been a devastating blow and compounded by a series of fitness issues at centre-back, where Ruben Dias, Nathan Ake and John Stones have all missed large chunks of the campaign.