Manchester City

Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola on what he will say to players before the match:

"I don't think about that I'm thinking what is the game plan. How Club Brugge behave. I don't want emotions today, tomorrow we will see. We will see what comes into my head. Sometimes I talk sometimes I don't."

On importance of having a player to support Rodri:

"Important position. Every position is important but of course we have tried to replace Rodri with two holding midfielders, they are not proper holding midfielders but they've performed well but we will see in the future what we have to do."

Manchester City

Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola on Club Brugge:

"I expect a tough game. When a team are unbeaten in 20 games it's because they are good, there's no secret there. I saw some of the games, when they played Aston Villa and Juventus and against Milan they played good. They have done really well. Different variations in build-up and man marking - they make it uncomfortable.

"Of course in every team, Man City included, there are weaknesses and you have to discover them and punish them."

On players being up for the match:

"I hope so. I know they want it. I know how focussed they are and I don't have doubts that we'll perform to go through but this is football and you never know."

Manchester City

Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola on the game plan for Wednesday:

"We would like to score lots of goals in the first 20 minutes but I don't think that will happen. The approach today is to read the game, understand the game and tomorrow we know we have to put in something special to win games in Champions League.

"It's simple if we don't win we are out, if we win we are through.

"I have been in the Champions League many times in my career as a manager. Sooner or later you have to play these types of games - win and we're through lose and we're out. It happens more in the further stages, not right now but we are here for the reasons we know. We have not been good enough and I've been in lots of games like this in my career."

Manchester City

Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola on financial impact of not progressing in Champions League:

"I don't know. I didn't speak with CEO about that. In the last two or three transfer windows it's always been positive. I'm not naïve enough to not know how important it is financially for the club to go through in this competition - it can affect the club but of course we want to try to make it happen and go through first for sport reasons.

"In the last five or six years the net spend at this club has been amazing. The club said OK the situation is the situation if we want to spend we can spend if not we don't spend."

Manchester City

Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola on being embarrassed if his side go out of the Champions League:

"Thank you for your concern if we are going out. But you can concern me after the game and I will answer you."

Do you feel like City have made a turnaround in form? "No. Not yet. Because it's only a few games."

Manchester City

Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola on fans at Etihad Stadium:

"If we perform well and we're in a good rhythm they will be there. We have felt them more than ever this season, like at Chelsea at the weekend they helped us.

"We will need them because they [Club Brugge] haven't lost a game in 20 games, they are consistent, solid, they are aggressive and don't concede chances.

"We played against them years ago and they've made a step up in how aggressive they are and they play really well with the ball. We have to perform really well to win the game."

Manchester City

Pep Guardiola says Oscar Bobb looks like he will be back for Wednesday's game.

Bobb has not played since the Community Shield on 10 August.

Guardiola also said "we will see" when asked if John Stones will play.

Manchester City

Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola speaking at his news conference:

"The situation we have, we have to win the game and if not then we won't continue in competition and we want to go through to have another chance to play another two games and qualify for the next stage.

"It's not a problem it's an opportunity, a challenge and we will face it."

What would it mean if Man City did not qualify? "For the club it would not be good but I'm not thinking about that right now. I know for all the people concerned whether we will qualify or not, I'm thinking we're going to do it."

Manchester City

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has taken his seat.

We're going to be hearing from the Spaniard and Man City defender Josko Gvardiol as they preview tomorrow's crucial Champions League encounter at home against Belgian side Club Brugge.

We'll bring you all the top lines and you can also watch the news conference live at the top of this page.

Simon Stone
BBC Sport's chief football news reporter

This is the scene in the press conference room at Manchester City.

We are just waiting for Pep Guardiola.

Image source, BBC Sport

Manchester City are at serious risk of going out of the Champions League. They must beat Club Brugge to progress to the last-16. But how have they fared under Pep Guardiola in Europe's top competition?

• 2016-17 - Round of 16
• 2017-18 - Quarter-final
• 2018-19 - Quarter-final
• 2019-20 - Quarter-final
• 2020-21 - Final
• 2021-22 - Semi-final
• 2022-23 - Winners
• 2023-24 - Quarter-final

Simon Stone
BBC Sport's chief football news reporter

Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola has ruled winger Jeremy Doku out of Wednesday's crucial Champions Leagu encounter with Club Brugge.

Doku has missed two games since scoring for City in their 6-0 win at Ipswich last weekend.

Guardiola has not said what the Belgian's problem is but quizzed about how long Doku would be out for, the answer was pessimistic.

"A while," he said. "I don't know how much but he won't be ready for Wednesday."

City must beat Brugge to claim a play-off berth.

The Opta super computer has been busy calculating who will progress in the Champions League.

Notably, the verdict is that Manchester City have just a 41.1% chance of progressing to the last-16.

Simon Stone
BBC Sport's chief football news reporter

Manchester City can't play their three new signings in Wednesday's crucial Champions League encounter with Club Brugge.

That means, with Nathan Ake and Ruben Dias definitely out, Pep Guardiola desperately needs John Stones to be fit.

Stones came on as a second-half substitute in Saturday's win over Chelsea. It was only his second game back after featuring just twice in the previous three months due to a foot problem.

Looking further forward, there had been a view Guardiola might use Stones in the problematic midfield position.

Clearly, that is not going to happen.

"Before it was a process that was clever, easier," he said. "Now with John I’m struggling to see it, due to injuries, that he plays there.

"I prefer to see him back because as a defender, especially reading situations, he is so, so good.

"I have no doubts on John or even Nathan but they have not been here. And last season they have not been here either. This is the problem.

"There are players who are reliable and players who have more problems than others.

"Hopefully now this time he has recovered better because he has to play. Our game on Wednesday is massively important."

Now for the nitty gritty.

All 18 Champions League matches take place at 20:00 GMT on Wednesday, with 16 matches having something on the line.

The 'as it stands' table will be constantly updating with teams' hopes potentially relying on other results.

It marks the first season of the new format, compared with the old four-team groups with two going through - where sometimes there was nothing to play for by the end.

• Liverpool have already guaranteed their place in the top eight but six more places are up for grabs.
• Aston Villa are guaranteed at least a play-off place. If they beat Celtic at home, that would give them a good chance of finishing in the top eight, though they would need one of five teams above them to slip up.
• Arsenal are all but in the last 16 as they sit three points clear of the play-offs with a much better goal difference than any team on 13 points.
• Celtic are only one point behind Villa so could conceivably finish in the top eight, but they would need to win and for a lot of things to happen above them.
• Manchester City have a very simple permutation. If they beat Club Brugge at home they will go into the play-off round. If they fail to win they will be eliminated. They cannot reach the last 16 automatically.

So, here's how things stand in the Champions League table.

The teams who finish in the top eight automatically progress to the last 16, where they will be seeded.

They will await the winners of eight two-legged knockout play-off ties featuring the clubs ranked from ninth to 24th.

Those finishing between ninth and 16th will be seeded and face a team placed 17th to 24th, with the advantage of playing the second leg at home.

The clubs 25th or lower are eliminated and do not gain entry to the Europa League.

The play-off ties take place mid-February, with the last-16 matches in the first two weeks of March.

Who would've thought Manchester City would find themselves here, eh?

The 2023 Champions League winners sit 25th in the league table with eight points - two wins, two draws and three losses.

There have been wins against Slovan Bratislava and Sparta Prague.

But a demoralising draw against Feyenoord, in which they squandered a three-goal lead in the last 10 minutes, and a capitulation against Paris St-Germain, where they gave up a two-goal lead to lose 4-2, have seriously upset their apple cart.

Combined with losses to Juventus and Sporting and a draw against Inter Milan, they are left needing to beat Belgian side Club Brugge to progress to the play-off phase of the last-16.

Much to do for Pep Guardiola's serial winners (usually).

Image source, Getty Images

Simon Stone
BBC Sport's chief football news reporter

Pep Guardiola has already described Manchester City's game against Club Brugge tomorrow as a 'final', so there is no reason to think he will have reduced the importance of it by the time he speaks to the media at lunchtime.

City must win if they are to make the play-offs.

After last week's defeat by PSG, anything less and City will be out, with no dropping down into the Europa League acting as a safety net.

Guardiola has never experienced a group stage exit in European football's most prestigious competition. He won't want to break new ground around that this week.