eu9 Guardiola, Man City face prospect of Champions League exit

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola reacts during a press conference at the City Football Academy in Manchester, England, Tuesday Jan. 28, 2025. (Martin Rickett/PA via AP)

MANCHESTER, England — With Manchester City needing a win to avoid a stunning early exit from the Champions League, Pep Guardiola wasn’t in the mood to discuss the prospect of his once-dominant team crashing out of European club soccer’s most prestigious competition.

The requirements are clear: Anything other than victory over Brugge on Wednesday and the 2023 champion is out.

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“Of course it would be not good, but I am not thinking about that right now,” Guardiola told a news conference Tuesday. “I appreciate all of your concern… but I’m thinking we are going to do it.”

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With one game remaining in the revamped league phase of the competition, the odds are still stacked in City’s favor.

Hosting Belgian champion Brugge at the Etihad Stadium, City would ordinarily be expected to win — particularly given its 34-game unbeaten home run in Europe that stretches back to 2018. But in a season that saw City pick up only one victory in 13 games from October to December, including nine losses, nothing can be taken for granted.

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“The situation that we have, you have one option to win the game and if not we will not continue in this competition,” Guardiola said. “It’s not a problem. It’s an opportunity, a challenge and we will face it.”

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City is currently 25th in the standings. The top eight teams automatically advance to the round of 16 and those placed from 9-24 go into a playoff.

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Brugge is 20th, three points ahead of City and brings a 20-game unbeaten run to Manchester. A draw would be enough to secure its place in the playoffs.

READ: Man City turns corner with successive wins in Premier League

CIty is not the only major team facing an uncertain night when all 36 teams kick off simultaneously for the last round of matches.

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UEFA’s revamp of the competition — replacing eight mini-groups of four teams with a 36-team league phase — has delivered surprises.

Paris Saint-Germain is another major force in danger of being eliminated. Despite beating City last week to move into the playoff spots, the French champion could still go out if it loses to Stuttgart

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Meanwhile, record 15-time champion and holder Real Madrid may have to settle for a playoff. So could other European giants Bayern Munich, Juventuseu9, and last year’s beaten finalist Borussia Dortmund.

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