Ahead of the final matchday of the league stage of the Champions League, the reigning English, Spanish and French champions are all at risk of automatic elimination.

When Manchester City With Paris Saint-Germain and Real Madrid visiting Salzburg on Wednesday (both 8pm GMT), all three veterans of the competition know victory will make the final matchday a significantly more comfortable proposition.

The Champions League’s new 36-team single-league format means that teams must finish between ninth and 24th to gain a place in the knockout stage play-offs, while automatic progression as one of the top eight teams is not out of the question. three sides.

101GreatGoals.com takes a look at how close they are to knocking off each of the established contenders and the task ahead of them in their final two matches of this stage.

Man City: Danger in Paris?

Seven points from their first three games put City on course for automatic promotion, only for their subsequent form to mirror their staggering domestic woes since November – the worst so far of Pep Guardiola’s almost all-conquering reign.

Defeats at Sporting and Juventus came on both sides 3-3 draw at home to Feyenoord It was memorable for the wrong reasons, with the 2022/23 champions going 3-0 up after the 74th minute.

This leaves them one point above the relegation places, albeit at least four better than any of the teams in the bottom eight on goal difference.

With PSG unbeaten at home this season and in even greater need of a positive result, a point would be welcome for City and they will almost certainly leave their fate in their own hands when they host Club Brugge on January 29. (8 p.m.).

A win would put them in a strong position to finish between ninth and 16th and be seeded for a play-off draw. Just two wins will give them a chance to automatically go through.

City were last knocked out during the early stages of the 2012/13 season, when they drew all their home games and lost all three away in a group containing Ajax, Real Madrid and Borussia Dortmund. Manager Roberto Mancini left at the end of the campaign.

Guardiola, who won the competition in 2009 and 2011 with Barcelona, ​​has always reached the knockout stage during his 17 years as manager with Spanish clubs, Bayern Munich and City.

The Spaniard’s shortest run in the competition in his first season as coach at the Etihad Stadium in 2016/17 was lost on the now-abolished away goals rule after a 6-6 aggregate draw with Monaco in the round of 16.

PSG: In elimination places

Runners-up in 2019/20 and semi-finalists in two of the last four seasons, Paris are in the most precarious position of the three titans ahead of Matchday 7, locked in the highest elimination spot by a point.

Drawing may not be enough to get them out of the elimination spots. A point would lift them above Dinamo Zagreb if the Croatian club lose at Arsenal on Wednesday (8pm), but Stuttgart, who are level on points with PSG, will look to win on Tuesday (8pm). The Slovan Bratislava side are still looking for their first point.

PSG are on an eight-match winning streak but have not met potentially dangerous opponents like City on the road. They will be hoping to save their best for last, following a European run of one point from four games with a 3-0 win at Salzburg on Matchday 6.

The defeat will add to the pressure before PSG travel to Stuttgart on January 29 (8pm), against opponents who have started the year with three straight wins to move up to fourth in the Bundesliga.

Paris have endured several underwhelming campaigns – they were knocked out in the round of 16 in 2021/22 and 2022/23 despite having Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappe and Neymar in their ranks – but have progressed from the opening stages on each occasion during their current spell. 12 consecutive years of participation.

The last time they fell at the first hurdle in the competition was in 2004/05, when manager Vahid Halilhodzic was replaced by Laurent Fournier in February.

Current manager Luis Enrique has never been knocked out in the first round when he has coached in the Champions League, winning the title in his first season in charge of Barcelona in 2014/15.

The 54-year-old has guided Paris nine points clear as part of an 18-game unbeaten run in Ligue 1 this season, although they had to come from behind to win 2-1 at Lens on Saturday.

“I’m very happy with the victory,” the former Spain boss said afterwards, describing PSG as having “good momentum” and having “a lot of hope” for the Champions League.

Real Madrid: The holders are in danger

Along with City, Madrid were the only team to win all six of their group stage matches en route to extending their record 15th Champions League title in 2023/24.

An early exit for the dominant force in the competition seems unthinkable, but defeats at Lille and Liverpool and a home defeat to Milan mean Madrid are two points above the relegation places.

Madrid will be strong favorites to end matchday looking up, with five defeats and one win to a Salzburg side at home on Wednesday (8pm) – but an end to their two-match winning run in all competitions could be all they need. The result comes a week later (8pm) at Brest, who are currently in the automatic knockout stage places.

The prospect of a play-off would also be a surprise for a team with the likes of Vinicius Junior, Kylian Mbappe and Jude Bellingham, as Madrid have reached at least the semi-finals in 14 of the last 16 seasons.

In 70 years of involvement they have never made it out of the first round, although they were eliminated in the round of 16 in 2018/19, having sacked two managers during their first season since their departure. All-time Champions League Top Scorer Cristiano Ronaldo.

They were knocked out at the same stage the following season, losing both legs of their last 16 tie 2–1 to City under Zinedine Zidane.

manager Carlo Ancelotti Having won the Champions League twice as coach with Milan and three times as Madrid boss, the most successful boss in the competition’s history has been knocked out in the group stages three times.

Ancelotti’s Parma lost just one of their six matches but were still relegated as runners-up in 1997/98. The Italian then finished bottom of the group with Juventus in 2000/01 and third with Napoli in 2018/19.

When are the Champions League Knockout Stage Play-offs?

The teams between the top and bottom eight will enter a two-legged knockout stage play-off tie.

The first leg will take place on February 11 and 12, followed by the return leg a week later. The draw to decide ties will be held on January 31.

When is the Champions League Round of 16?

The top eight teams and the winners of the play-offs will compete in round of 16 first-leg matches on March 4 and 5, followed by the second leg a week later.

The draw for the round of 16, quarter-finals and semi-finals will take place on February 21.