City need to win - then check the table

Josko Gvardiol says he prefers the old Champions League format.

It was certainly easier to work out what was going to happen in the knockout stages, when you knew the top two from each group went through.

For Manchester City supporters, the demand for victory against Club Brugge tomorrow will quickly be placed by an assessment of where their club is going to finish and who they will play if they do go through.

As City are presently outside the top 24, it is hard to even hazard a guess as to who Pep Guardiola's side will play if they make it through.

We do know they can finish no higher than 19th in the 36-team table, so whoever they get, the first leg next month will be at home.

If they win, they will definitely finish above Club Brugge. But also, as PSG and Stuttgart play each other, both are on 10 points and both, currently, are in the top 24, so City will finish ahead of at least one of them. So a win gets them to 22nd. In addition, Benfica have a tough looking game at Juventus.

So, best guess, a win for City will see them finish 21st which, as it presently stands, would mean a play off with Feyenoord or Lille, who are 11th and 12th. But it probably won't stay like that.