Manchester City are on a two-match winless streak in all competitions ahead of their Champions League matchday 4 fixture at home versus Club Brugge.
The Cityzens drew nil-nil to West Ham in the Carabao Cup a week ago and followed it up with a home 2-0 loss to Crystal Palace at the weekend. Manchester City claimed a 5-1 win against Club Brugge when the teams played on Champions League matchday 3.
Preparation for Brugge begins 💪#ManCity | #UCL pic.twitter.com/lCLyejyOuw— Manchester City (@ManCity) October 31, 2021
Preparation for Brugge begins 💪#ManCity | #UCL pic.twitter.com/lCLyejyOuw
The Black and Blue’s defence conceded five times to the Cityzens on matchday 3 as Joao Cancelo, Riyad Mahrez (twice), Kyle Walker, and Cole Palmer got onto the scoresheet.
Club Brugge are third in Champions League Group A with four points from nine on offer. Manchester City are second in the group with six points from nine available. Pep Guardiola’s team’s only blemish was a 2-0 loss to Paris Saint-Germain on matchday 2.
Manchester City’s defence has only conceded 13 times this season in 15 matches. However, they have conceded goals in three of their last four fixtures in all competitions.
Club Brugge are on a three-match unbeaten streak going into the matchday 4 fixture. They claimed a 2-1 away win against St. Truiden in the Belgian top-flight at the weekend.
Brugge manager Philippe Clement has two players on the injury list going into the match this week. Midfielders Tibo Persyn and Ruben Providence are both likely to miss the fixture.
Midfielder Hans Vanaken scored a late consolation goal for Club Brugge against Manchester City on Champions League matchday 3. He leads the team in goals with seven in 15 matches in all competitions. Vanaken should be nailed on for a starting role in the Club Brugge team.
Guardiola has no new injuries to worry about. Ferran Torres remains out of action and will be absent until January with a foot injury.
Centre-back Aymeric Laporte was sent off against Crystal Palace last weekend in the Premier League. He should play versus Club Brugge due to being unavailable for next weekend’s Manchester Derby.
The matchday 3 game between these teams finished with Manchester City putting five goals past Club Brugge. The Cityzens need to overcome their inability to score goals, which they have not over the last 180 minutes of football.
Guardiola’s team should end their scoring drought this week against Club Brugge as the teams combine for over 3.5 goals scored. Manchester City should win once more versus Club Brugge and potentially move to the top of Champions League Group A.