Champions League: Man City, Real Madrid and PSG in danger of relegation with two games remaining in the league stage | Football news
With two rounds to go in the first phase of the Champions League, Real Madrid, Manchester City and Paris Saint-Germain are in real danger.
Teams must finish in the top eight to earn automatic qualification to the round of 16, while those from ninth to 24th enter February’s two-legged play-off round, with the winners taking the other eight spots.
Teams finishing anywhere from 25th to 36th will be eliminated from the competition – without access to the Europa League.
As it stands, the three heavyweights of European football are in danger.
Paris Saint-Germain they face outright elimination and sit 25th despite a much-needed win over Red Bull Salzburg in their final Champions League game.
Manchester City they also struggle. Pep Guardiola’s team is 22nd, far from the desired place in the top eight. Real Madrid they are doing slightly better in 20th place and got their first win in three by beating Atalanta last time out.
The big gun, it seems increasingly likely, will fall.
The Champions League table in full
Upcoming key matches of the Champions League
- January 22: PSG against Man City, Real Madrid against Red Bull Salzburg
- January 29: Brest against Real Madrid, Man City against Club Brugge, Stuttgart against PSG
More frustrations on the way to Man City?
Two big names continue to struggle in the lower levels of the table: Man City and PSG.
City, the 2022/23 champions, suffered an alarming slump in Europe at the end of 2024, failing to win any of their last three Champions League games after taking seven points from their first three games.
However, their form at home has improved in recent weeks as they head into two crucial European games, and their clash with PSG on January 22 is likely to be a must-win game.
Luis Enrique’s PSG team is having a hard time in Europe themselves, and the victory in Salzburg was only their second in six matches so far, after they had already lost to Bayern, Atletico Madrid and Arsenal.
They are in a rebuilding phase after losing Kylian Mbappe to Real Madrid this summer, and earlier this season they named their youngest Ligue 1 starting line-up as they fulfill chairman Nasser Al-Khelaifi’s wishes to turn to youth over big-money signings.
When is the 2024/25 Champions League knockout stage?
- Playoff knockout round: 11./12. February and 18/19 February 2025
- Round of 16: 4./5. March and 11/12 March 2025
- Quarter-finals: 8./9. April and 15/16 April 2025
- Semi-finals: 29./30. April and 6/7 May 2025
- Final: May 31, 2025
When and where is the 2025 Champions League final?
The 2024/25 UEFA Champions League season will take place in Munich at the Allianz Arena on 31 May 2025.
