Manchester City will compete in next month's Champions League knockout play-off round after beating Club Brugge 3-1 on Wednesday night. Defeat in Paris last week left City requiring victory against the Belgian side to avoid an unthinkable premature elimination from the competition they won less than two years ago.
On a dramatic night in which only two of the closing 18 matches were dead rubbers, Man City got the win it needed to avoid an embarrassing exit.
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Man City vs. Club Brugge score
Manchester City know only a win will do when they host Club Brugge in their final league-phase game. They have not missed out on the Champions League knockout stages since 2012/13.
Inter Milan, Arsenal and Atletico Madrid sealed top-eight finishes as expected — joining Liverpool and Barcelona advancing directly to the round of 16 – with low-key wins. Inter beat Monaco 3-0, Arsenal won 2-1 at Girona and Atletico won 4-1 at Salzburg, which had a woeful campaign.
Follow the Man City vs Club Brugge LIVE below with our dedicated match blog. Hello and welcome to Standard Sport’s LIVE coverage of Manchester City vs Club Brugge. It all comes down to the final matchday for Man City to book a place in the Champions League knockout phase.
Manchester City risk a premature exit from the UEFA Champions League at home to Club Brugge on Wednesday. Pep Guardiola's men welcome their Belgian visitors to Etihad Stadium this midweek, having gotten over their main blip although it is too late to save their English Premier League title chances.
Manchester City will look to keep their continental dreams alive as they welcome Club Brugge to the Etihad Stadium on Wednesday night on the final matchday of the league phase. It appears as though the Citizens’ struggles in the UEFA Champions League this season may have caught up with them as they sit on the verge of elimination entering into the last day of league phase play in the new format.
The victory in their league-phase finale secured Pep Guardiola's men a spot in the two-legged play-off knockout round
Manchester City staged a comeback against Club Brugge to secure a spot in the Champions League knockout stage, while Paris Saint-Germain also advanced
Manchester City flirted with a disastrous exit from the Champions League before rallying to beat Club Brugge 3-1 in a must-win game.
Here's the state of play after the conclusion of the first stage of the Champions League: Liverpool, Barcelona, Arsenal, Inter Milan, Atletico Madrid, Bayer Leverkusen, Lille, Aston Villa. Monaco or Brest vs. Paris Saint-Germain or Benfica (for the right to play Liverpool or Barcelona)