With their Champions League berth on the line, Manchester City must take on Club Brugge without Omar Marmoush, Abdukodir Khusanov and Vitor Reis.
After Manchester City won just two matches in their final 14 games to close out 2024, the club unsurprisingly turned to the winter transfer market. The defending English champions bolstered both their defense and attack by signing Marmoush, Khusanov and Reis.
Marmoush and Khusanov barely had time to acclimate to Manchester before they both made their debuts in City's 3–1 victory over Chelsea at the weekend. Khusanov struggled, gifting the Blues their lone goal just three minutes into the match, but Marmoush played a promising 74 minutes that gave City's frontline a burst of pace and creativity.
Even if Pep Guardiola wanted to give the two players (or Reis) another chance to impress just three days later in City's must-win Champions League match against Club Brugge, he cannot include the new signings in his squad.
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Why Manchester City's New Signings Can't Play vs. Club Brugge
Manchester City's three new signings are not eligible to play against Club Brugge in the team's final Champions League league phase match. UEFA rules state that players acquired in the January transfer window cannot register for the European competition until the league phase ends.
Marmoush, Khusanov and Reis will only be able to watch as City play the biggest match of their season so far. With just eight points through seven Champions League matches, City are one of the 12 teams in the elimination zone. The only way Guardiola's men can advance to the knockout stage is to win their final match at the Etihad.
Since Khusanov and Reis are ineligible to play, and Rúben Dias and Nathan Aké are injured, City's defensive options are looking slim against Club Brugge.
If City come up short without the help of Marmoush and co., then they will not advance to the Champions League knockout stage for the first time since the 2012–13 season.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Why Manchester City's New Signings Can't Play vs. Club Brugge.
