Manchester City vs Club Brugge Prediction, Odds and Picks for Today, 01/29/25

There will be plenty of talk about permutations leading up to the final batch of Champions League matches this week but for Manchester City, the goal is simple – win and they are in the playoff round but lose or tie and they are out of the competition. It would have been unthinkable at the start of the season that City’s fate in the league phase would come down to the final matchday but it has not been a normal campaign for Pep Guardiola’s side. However, while the 4-2 defeat to PSG last Wednesday showed a lack of discipline and defensive organization, there is evidence to suggest that City may be turning a corner. On Saturday, they recovered from an early error from new signing Abdukodir Khusanov, who gifted opponents Chelsea the lead after 3 minutes, to win 3-1 against the Blues. Goals from Josko Gvardiol, Erling Haaland and Phil Foden ensured City made it 6 games unbeaten in the Premier League and that victory moved them back into the top 4 at the expense of Newcastle and Chelsea. There are still clearly issues that need to be addressed but City are heading in the right direction and they can make home advantage count against Club Brugge on Wednesday.

Brugge themselves are on 11 points – 3 more than City – and are set to make the 9th-24th positions in the final Champions League standings. Brugge have beaten Aston Villa and Sporting Lisbon already and held Juventus to a tie last week. Their games have typically been low-scoring but this match could require them to come out of their shell a bit more, especially if City get ahead early. Given how fragile the Citizens have looked in defense, there is every chance that Brugge find the net even in defeat.