Pep Guardiola opens up about the financial risks of missing the Champions League knockout stages as Manchester City prepares for a must-win match against Club Brugge.
Pep Guardiola, the manager of Manchester City, knows how much money is at stake if his team doesn’t make it to the Champions League knockout rounds. City needs to win their last group game against Club Brugge on Wednesday to keep their hopes alive.
Since Guardiola became manager in 2016, City has always made it past the group stage. But this year’s new format puts them in a tough spot, sitting in 25th place—not even good enough for a playoff spot.
The top eight teams go straight to the last 16, while those in 9th to 24th place have to battle it out in playoffs. Guardiola admitted that not qualifying could impact their spending on new players.
“In the last two or three transfer windows, it’s always been positive,” Guardiola said on Tuesday. “I know how important this competition is for the club financially. It can affect us, but we want to advance mainly for the sport itself.”
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He pointed out that City has been smart with money in recent years. “The club said, ‘If we want to spend, we can. If not, we don’t,'” Guardiola explained. Just this month, City spent over £120 million ($149.14 million) on players like Omar Marmoush, Vitor Reis, and Abdukodir Khusanov.
City won the Champions League in 2023, so Guardiola didn’t want to talk about how bad it would look if they didn’t make it through this time. “We have to win the game; if not, we’re out. We want to keep playing to get a shot at the next round,” he stated.
When asked if failing to qualify would be embarrassing, Guardiola replied, “Ask me after the game.”
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In the 2021-22 season, City easily beat Brugge 5-1 and 4-1. But Guardiola warned that Brugge is a much stronger team now. They haven’t lost since late October and are ranked 20th, three spots ahead of City.
“We’d love to score a bunch of goals early, but I don’t think that’s going to happen,” Guardiola admitted. “It’s going to be tough. When a team hasn’t lost for so long, it means they’re good. This game is like a final for both teams—especially for us.”
Now, it’s all down to this match for City. Winning means they stay in the Champions League hunt; losing means they’re out.
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