MANCHESTER: Pep Guardiola says Manchester City will embrace the “challenge” of Wednesday’s must-win Champions League clash against Club Brugge and is confident they will make the knockout stages.
The Premier League champions must beat last season’s Belgian league winners at the Etihad to progress to the play-off stage, involving teams ranked from ninth to 24th in the league phase.
The top eight teams automatically qualify for the round of 16, which takes place in March.
City endured a horrific run of just one win in 13 games in all competitions from October to December, which threatened to completely derail their season.
Guardiola’s men appear to have turned a corner in the Premier League, winning four of their past five games to climb back into the top four.
But lingering problems were exposed last week as Paris Saint-Germain battled back from 2-0 down to inflict a damaging 4-2 defeat on the 2023 European champions.
Guardiola has never failed to reach the Champions League knockout stages in his career as a manager and he said Tuesday he was confident his side would progress.
“It’s not a problem, it’s an opportunity, a challenge, and we will face it,” he told his pre-match press conference.
He added: “I expect a tough opponent. When a team is 20 games unbeaten (the run is 21) it is because they are good. There are no secrets about that.
“They beat Aston Villa, (against) Juventus, Milan they played good. Celtic... they did really well. Different variations in the build-up. We have to read well what we have to do.
“But every team — Manchester City included — has weaknesses. You have to find them and punish them.”
Guardiola appeared frustrated when quizzed on the potential consequences of an early exit from the Champions League.
City are presently 25th in the league table after just two wins in their seven games.
“Of course, I’m not naive enough to know how important it is financially for the club to go through in this competition, but sometimes it happens, sometimes it doesn’t,” he said.
“But, of course, we want to try to go through, especially for sporting reasons.”
The 54-year-old Catalan said he had faith the pressure of the situation would bring out the best in his players.
“I know they want it, I know how focused they are, and I don’t have doubts that we will perform what we have to do to go through, but with football, you never know,” he said.
Norway midfielder Oscar Bobb is in contention to feature against Club Brugge for the first time since August but new signings Omar Marmoush, Vitor Reis and Abdukodir Khusanov are all ineligible.
Man City will embrace Brugge ‘challenge’ in must-win Champions League clash: Guardiola
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Man City will embrace Brugge ‘challenge’ in must-win Champions League clash: Guardiola
- Guardiola has never failed to reach the Champions League knockout stages in his career as a manager and he said Tuesday he was confident his side would progress
- “It’s not a problem, it’s an opportunity, a challenge, and we will face it“
Messi dazzles as Miami beat Vancouver to win MLS title
- Argentina superstar Messi provided assists for two goals and helped create another to spark wild celebrations before a rapturous home crowd at the Chase Stadium in Fort Lauderdale
FORT LAUDERDALE, United States: Lionel Messi inspired Inter Miami to their first ever MLS Cup title on Saturday, playing a leading role in a 3-1 victory over the Vancouver Whitecaps in Florida.
Argentina superstar Messi provided assists for two goals and helped create another to spark wild celebrations before a rapturous home crowd at the Chase Stadium in Fort Lauderdale.
Miami took the lead after an early Edier Ocampo own goal but were left reeling by Ali Ahmed’s second half-equalizer for Vancouver.
But Messi then laid on an assist for Argentina international team-mate Rodrigo De Paul to put Miami 2-1 up before supplying the pass for Tadeo Allende’s injury time goal that sealed victory.
Miami’s first Major League Soccer crown provided glittering vindication for co-owner David Beckham, the former England and Manchester United star who had long dreamed of bringing success to Miami.
“There was a lot of sleepless nights, but I always believed,” Beckham said afterwards. “I always believed in bringing the team here, and when I found the right partners I knew anything was possible.
“We always promised our fans that we would bring success, and bring the best players, and today we’ve achieved that.”
Vancouver — spearheaded by German legend Thomas Mueller — had looked the likelier victor after recovering from Ocampo’s eighth minute own goal to level through Ali Ahmed in the 60th minute.
The Whitecaps almost took the lead moments after the equalizer, with Emmanuel Sabbi’s shot crashing off both posts in the 62nd minute as Miami escaped.
But with the Whitecaps in complete control, the Canadians were stunned when Miami regained the lead after a blunder by midfielder Andres Cubas.
Cubas took too long in possession and was robbed by Messi, who skipped clear before releasing De Paul to provide the clinical finish.
Vancouver never recovered from that hammer blow and Miami started the party in injury time when Messi played in Allende for the third to make it 3-1.
The win marks the crowning achievement of Inter Miami since the club — which entered the league as an expansion club in 2020 — successfully lured Messi to Miami in 2023.
Saturday’s victory also marked the end of an era for two key figures in Miami’s rise to the top of Major League Soccer, with former Spanish internationals Jordi Alba and Sergio Busquets heading into retirement.
