By Samindra Kunti in Brugge
January 22 – Belgian champions Club Brugge have edged closer to a playoff spot in the Champions League following a laboured, goalless draw against Italian giants Juventus.
With the point, Brugge moved to 11 points with next week’s trip to Manchester City wrapping up their group stage campaign.
The result also suited Juventus, who host Benfica in their final first-round match. In a drab first half neither side showed much enterprise in a drab first half.
In midfield, the diminutive Ardon Jashari proved to be the creative fulcrum for the hosts.
After the break, Club striker Ferran Jutgla squandered a good opportunity while, at the other end, Juventus’s Nicolas Gonzalez misfired with the goal at his mercy.
The excitement quickly died down before a fine volley from substitute Gustav Nilsson in the 70th minute kept the Italians on their toes and Manuel Locatelli tested Simon Mignolet in the 84th minute with a powerful shot, his side’s first shot on target in the encounter. In all, neither side deserved the three points, but with the draw, Brugge extended their unbeaten run to 19 matches in all competitions. They last suffered a defeat in October at the hands of AC Milan.
At a news conference, Club Brugge manager Nicky Hayen downplayed the importance of the point. A Manchester City victory over Paris Saint-Germain almost guarantees Brugge a playoff ticket.
“When you see that Benfica lead 4-2 and still lost 4-5 against Barcelona, it shows that the format is full of surprises,” said Hayen. “Even when you are 99% per cent sure – and not 100% – you have to prepare for Manchester City.”
With 12 points from seven matches, Juventus are fourteenth in the table. Brugge are seventeenth. In the revamped format of the Champions League, the first eight clubs progress directly to the knockout phase while teams ranked ninth to twenty-fourth advance to a playoff. PSG, in 26th, and Red Bull Leipzig are among the heavyweight clubs outside the top 24.
On Wednesday, the Parisians will take on the 2022/23 champions at the Parc des Princes with their backs against the wall.
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