The Belgian football team, with Swedish striker Gustaf Nilsson in the team, has 20 consecutive matches without defeat. The last defeat came just in the Champions League, 1–3 away against Milan, on October 22 last year.
I expect tough opposition. When a team has played 20 consecutive matches without losing, it's because they're good, it's no secret, says Pep Guardiola ahead of Wednesday's group stage finale.
Never Missed Before
If Manchester City is to advance to the playoffs, a win is required at home at Etihad Stadium on Wednesday evening. Otherwise, it will be the first time in Guardiola's coaching career that he fails to take his team to the playoffs.
I don't see it as a problem. I see it as an opportunity, a challenge. And we'll take it on, says Guardiola.
Unstable Season
The top 24 teams in the Champions League group stage advance to the playoffs. Club Brugge is 20th with 11 points, Manchester City is 25th with 8 points.
For City's part, a win is essentially a must to prevent an already tough season from getting even tougher. A catastrophic period between October and December, with only one win in 13 matches, has ruined large parts of the season, and in the Premier League, the team is already far behind league-leading Liverpool.
I'm not naive enough to not understand how economically important it is for the club to advance. But sometimes it happens, sometimes it doesn't. Of course, we want to advance, says Pep Guardiola.
