Pep Guardiola says it's a 'dream' for Manchester City to have destiny in own hands ahead of Club Brugge must-win match

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Manchester City must beat Club Brugge in their final UEFA Champions League league phase match or they will be eliminated from the competition. Manager Pep Guardiola has told TNT Sports that having their fate in their own hands is a "dream" but does not know whether his side are back to their best. All 18 matches from matchday eight will be available to watch live on TNT Sports and discovery+.

‘A dream’ to have CL fate in our own hands, says Guardiola

Video credit: TNT Sports

Pep Guardiola says it is a "dream" for Manchester City to have their fate in their own hands ahead of the "challenge" of a must-win UEFA Champions League match against Club Brugge.

City start the final round of the league phase in the elimination zone and needing to win to progress to the knockout stage.

Opta give City a 63.8% chance to make the play-off round and they do at least know that victory will guarantee qualification.

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"We have been many times when we play Champions League knockout stages, in quarter-finals, semi-finals, final, it’s quite similar again tomorrow," City manager Guardiola told TNT Sports.

"We were in difficult circumstances for many reasons and we deserve to be here. We take it as an opportunity and a challenge.

"When you arrive in the last game of any competition depending on you, it’s a dream. This is the reality. It could be even worse if we had to wait on the results of other games. We have to win our game at home with our fans.

"The fans want an opportunity to play again this season with the biggest clubs and we have to win our game."

After a remarkable slump in form in November and December, City have lost just once across all competitions in 2025.

However, that was a costly defeat as they blew a 2-0 lead to lose to Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League - and Guardiola is reluctant to say whether City are back to their best.

"Winning games helps but I cannot say we have bounced back or the situation has turned around," he said.

"They are different competitions and we lost a lot of games in the Champions League. We had a record of being unbeaten for many games and now we are not able to win. But it’s last chance at home to go through and we will take it."

All 18 matchday eight fixtures will kick-off at the same time - with every moment live on TNT Sports and discovery+ on Wednesday - with plenty of twists and turns expected as some teams battle for automatic qualification while others look to avoid an early exit.

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Video credit: TNT Sports

City have won only two of their seven games in Europe this season while Club Brugge are 20 matches unbeaten across all competitions. Brugge are 20th in the Champions League table, three points above City.

"We have to win, we have to perform and beat them," said Guardiola. "What we have done in the past doesn’t count in the future.

"[City] have to perform well against a team who hasn’t been beaten in more than 20 games. That means how reliable and strong they are in many things, but at the same time we can do it."

How to watch Matchday 8 in the UEFA Champions League

All 18 matches will be available to watch live on TNT Sports and discovery+ on Wednesday, January 29.

TNT Sports will bring you extensive coverage from all the important matches and you can see all the goals as they fly in, with all 18 matches played concurrently on a bumper night of fixtures.

TNT Sports is available across all major TV platforms, offering a line-up of up to four TV channels (TNT Sports 1, TNT Sports 2, TNT Sports 3, TNT Sports 4), and up to six digital or red-button channels (TNT Sports 5 to 10), and TNT Sports Ultimate plus TNT Sports Box Office HD.

The streaming home for TNT Sports in the UK is discovery+, where fans can enjoy a subscription that includes TNT Sports, Eurosport and entertainment in one destination.

You can also watch TNT Sports through BT, EE, Sky, and Virgin Media. To find out where your local establishments showing TNT Sports are, use our Pub Finder Tool.

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