I really want this to be an exciting game, mainly because it’s the early UEFA Champions League kick off and I’ll be watching it (BT Sport 2 if you didn’t already know). However, I can’t see anything other than a comfortable visit to Belgium for Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City. Club Brugge have outperformed expectations this far, holding Lionel Messi and co to a well earned draw on the opening match day, backed up by an impressive victory in Leipzig meaning qualification (at least for the Europa League) is a strong possibility. The Citizens on the other hand were defeated by PSG last time out, despite being the better team for the majority of the match and will know that three points is a must this evening so expect Pep to go as strong as possible.
Club Brugge v Man City Bet Builder tips
Jack Grealish to have 1+ Shot on Target v Club Brugge
Unfortunately he is English, he dives a lot and I don’t rate his haircut but he is pretty f**king decent at football. The £100m summer signing has been a regular in Pep’s side since his transfer from fellow Premier League side, Aston Villa and the fact he was rested during Man City’s victory over Burnley at the weekend suggests he is likely to start here. Grealish has been used down the middle in his last two starts and I wouldn’t be surprised to see him line up there again in Brugge which obviously would be ideal for his chances at a shot on target.
If you look at the Cheat Sheet you’ll see his stats have been solid since his arrival in Manchester with an average of 0.77 shots on target per 90 minutes played and just under 2 shots per 90. European matches are always harder to predict who will stay on for the duration of the game given managers are permitted five subs, but as mentioned, he will be well rested which should play to our advantage.
🥅
Jack Grealish to have 1+ Shot on Target v Club Brugge @ 1.44 at Paddy Power
Charles de Ketelaere to have 1+ Shot on Target v Man City
There is real optimism within Belgium that Charles de Ketelaere will be a future star and he has shown a lot of promise in the early stages of his career. At just 19 years of age, he played in 38 of Club Brugge’s 40 league matches as they went on to lift the league title. Despite making 38 domestic appearances last season, he has already surpassed his goal tally in this campaign with 4 strikes in 11 matches and looks nailed on to start up top against Man City. Now as I said, I expect Pep’s side to walk away with the three points but I do still fancy Brugge to trouble Ederson throughout the evening, the Belgian champions managed 6 shots on target against PSG and a further 5 against RB Leipzig.
The Cheat Sheet stats are based on domestic leagues where Club Brugge are a dominant force but de Ketelaere’s average of 3.38 shots per 90 minutes shows he much he loves a dig at goal despite only a third of those being on target. I imagine Club Brugge will be frustrated by the Premier League champions which may lead to some speculative efforts from the Belgian youngster and at 3.0 he looks an incredible price in my opinion.
🥅
Charles de Ketelaere to have 1+ Shot on Target v Man City @ 3.0 at Paddy Power
Eduard Sobel to be Booked v Man City
The closing chapter of the bet builder will rely on Eduard Sobel to be cautioned. The Ukrainian defender has already been carded 4 times in 9 domestic appearances and will certainly have his work cut out here with the in form Gabriel Jesus charging down his flank. Unsurprisingly Sobel has received the most yellow cards in the Club Brugge squad despite placing 5th in fouls committed per 90 minutes on the Cheat Sheet showing that when he makes a foul, it’s usually a cynical one!
The man in the middle is the experienced Romanian Istvan Kovacs who is averaging 4.63 yellow cards per match in domestic football this term. He tends to be a little more lenient in Europe but I can see this being a case of Man City starving Club Brugge of the ball and the hosts racking up a high number of fouls.
🟨
Eduard Sobel to be Shown a Card v Man City @ 3.6 at Paddy Power
Club Brugge v Man City Predicted Line-ups
Club Brugge v Man City Cheat Sheet
* All odds displayed correct at the time of publishing *
How to watch Club Brugge v Man City in the Champions League
📅 When is Club Brugge v Man City? / Tuesday, 19 October 2021, 17:45 BST
🏟 Where is Club Brugge v Man City? / Jan Breydel Stadion (Brugge)
📺 What TV Channel is Club Brugge v Man City on? / BT Sport 2
📱 Online Live Streaming for Club Brugge v Man City / bet365
🟨 …And who is the referee for Club Brugge v Man City? / István Kovács 🇷🇴
