Club Brugge can reach the knockout stages of the Champions League for the first time ever, by either beating or drawing with Atlético Madrid on Wednesday at 18:45.
Going to this edition of the Champions League, many would have expected last season's Belgian champions Club Brugge to finish bottom of Group B.
Following a tough summer where the club lost their star player Charles De Ketelaere and promoted former assistant Carl Hoefkens to the role of head coach, many expected this season to be a transition year for the Belgian Pro League's top team.
And while the team appears to be less dominant in the league, as they are sitting on 22 points in third place, the same cannot be said of their European campaign.
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Some believed that Club Brugge would finish bottom of Group B, due to the calibre of opposition they were facing: Atlético Madrid, Bayer Leverkusen and Porto, all clubs seasoned in European competition.
Having started off with a 1-0 win over Bayer Leverkusen, who were struggling in the German Bundesliga at the time, Brugge compounded their opening victory with further wins against Porto and Atletico Madrid, 4-0 and 2-0 respectively.
This means that after 3 games they now sit at the top of Group B, 7 goals scored and none conceded. As a result, a win or a draw against Atletico in Madrid will allow them to secure their qualification for the knockout stages of the Champions League, for the first time since 1978.
Club Brugge's head coach Carl Hoefkens pictured at a pre-match press conference. Credit: Bruno Fahy/Belga.
Furthermore, if they beat Atletico and the game between Leverkusen and Porto ends in a draw, Club Brugge will have assured first place in Group B, with two games to go.
Despite the occasion, Carl Hoefkens remained level-headed during a pre-match press conference: “I only look onto the next game, the rest doesn’t matter to me, adding that "Atlético will certainly want to get a good result but I’m very happy with what the group is showing at the moment.”
