Club Brugge will somehow attempt to claim another memorable Champions League scalp when they play host to Manchester City in Group A on Tuesday night.
Philippe Clement's side claimed an impressive 2-1 win over RB Leipzig on matchday two, while City fell to a dampening defeat against Paris Saint-Germain.
Match preview
As if nullifying the historic Lionel Messi-Kylian Mbappe-Neymar triumvirate was not enough for Club Brugge, the Belgian champions followed up their memorable 1-1 draw with PSG with a 2-1 win over RB Leipzig on matchday two.
Christopher Nkunku took all of five minutes to put the German side ahead, but Brugge replied through Hans Vanaken and Mats Rits before the half-time whistle blew, and Clement's side would shut up shop for the final 45 minutes to cement their position in the top two of the rankings.
This week's hosts are arguably facing their toughest test yet against the champions of England, but they managed to warm up for this encounter in perfect fashion with a 2-0 league win over Kortrijk thanks to Ruud Vormer's brace.
Brugge have made a habit of winning one then drawing one in recent weeks, and the Belgian side would certainly be happy for that run to continue on Tuesday night, while they are unbeaten in seven home games across all competitions.
Not since March have this season's Champions League surprise package failed to score on home soil, and they have made the net ripple in every game this season so far, but Man City's staunch defence will certainly have something to say about that.
There may have been a sense of nostalgia with Pep Guardiola and Messi reuniting in Man City's clash with Paris Saint-Germain on matchday two, but the latter would proceed to make the Citizens' trip to Paris a miserable one with the clincher in a 2-0 success for the Parisiens.
Idrissa Gueye would take all of eight minutes to rifle in the opener, and with City's attackers struggling to make it click in the final third, Messi would combine with Mbappe before firing home his first PSG goal in some style during the second period.
Despite suffering an early setback in their bid for a long-awaited Champions League crown, third-placed City continue to impress domestically and enter this game on the back of a 2-0 win over Burnley, with Bernardo Silva and Kevin De Bruyne finding the back of the net.
Defeat at PSG ended a 10-game unbeaten run for Man City away from home in the Champions League, and while this game may appear to be a foregone conclusion on paper, Guardiola will be all too aware that his side can take nothing for granted against their inspired hosts.
Tuesday will mark the first-ever meeting between City and Brugge in any competition, but the hosts have lost nine of their last 12 continental games against English opponents, most recently beating Chelsea 1-0 in a 1995 Cup Winners' Cup showdown.
- D
- W
- D
- W
- D
- W
- D
- W
- W
- L
- D
- W
- W
- L
- D
- W
Team News
Club Brugge have no injury or suspension concerns whatsoever to work around for the visit of City, although Eder Balanta will miss the Etihad clash next month if he picks up a booking here.
The Colombia international was a late return from international duty and did not take part against Kortrijk, but Vormer will hope to keep his compatriot out of the side following his match-winning brace at the weekend.
Arsenal target Noa Lang claimed another assist for Vormer's second at the weekend and should form part of a settled attacking lineup with Charles De Ketelaere and Kamal Sowah.
City duo Ilkay Gundogan and Oleksandr Zinchenko were both fit enough to make the bench against Burnley, but Ferran Torres has been ruled out until the end of the year with a foot fracture.
Guardiola has refused to confirm Gabriel Jesus and Ederson's availability for Tuesday's game, but the Brazilian duo are expected to be fine to feature from the first whistle as the City boss rotates his resources.
Kyle Walker, Ruben Dias and Jack Grealish are all primed to return to the first XI as well, with Riyad Mahrez and Raheem Sterling's spots in the side both under threat.
Club Brugge possible starting lineup:
Mignolet; Mata, Hendry, Nsoki, Sobol; Vormer, Rits, Vanaken; Sowah, De Ketelaere, Lang
Manchester City possible starting lineup:
Ederson; Walker, Dias, Laporte, Zinchenko; Gundogan, Rodri, De Bruyne; Jesus, Foden, Grealish
We say: Club Brugge 0-2 Manchester City
Brugge command plenty of respect seeing as they sit above City in the embryonic Group A rankings, but masterminding a victory over Guardiola's men may be a step too far for Clement.
The visitors have plenty of options for rotation and will not accept anything less than three points after their Paris setback, so we can only envisage City coming out on top and breaking Brugge's resistance.
Top tip
body check tags ::
Previews by email
