Champions League: Manchester City, Real Madrid and PSG all in danger of exiting league with two rounds remaining Football news

With two games left in the first round of the Champions League, Real Madrid, Manchester City and Paris Saint-Germain are in real danger.

Teams must finish in the top eight to automatically qualify for the round of 16, while teams ranked ninth to 24th will advance to a two-legged play-off in February, with the winners claiming a further eight spots.

Teams ranked 25th to 36th will be eliminated from the EuroLeague.

At present, three heavyweights in European football are in danger.

paris saint germain Despite a much-needed victory against Red Bull Salzburg in their last Champions League game, the team still faces elimination and is currently in 25th place.

Manchester City I also struggled. Guardiola’s side are ranked 22nd, still far from the coveted top eight. real Madrid The 20th place didn’t fare much better and beat Atalanta in their last game for their first win in three games.

The likelihood of a big gun being dropped seems increasingly likely.

Complete Champions League stage schedule

Key upcoming Champions League games

January 22: Paris Saint-Germain vs Manchester City, Real Madrid vs Red Bull Salzburg
January 29: Brest vs Real Madrid, Manchester City vs Club Brugge, Stuttgart vs Paris Saint-Germain

Will there be more frustrations on the road for Manchester City?

Two big-name teams, Manchester City and Paris Saint-Germain, continue to struggle lower down the table.

Manchester City, the champions of the 2022/23 season, suffered a shocking decline in the European competition at the end of 2024. After taking 7 points in the first three games, they failed to win in their last three Champions League games.

However, their domestic form has improved in recent weeks and they have two crucial European fixtures coming up, with a showdown with Paris Saint-Germain on January 22 potentially a must-win.

Luis Enrique’s PSG are also having a tough time in Europe, with their win at Salzburg only their second in six games so far, having already lost to Bayern Munich, Atletico Madrid and Arsenal.

They are in the midst of a rebuild after losing Kylian Mbappe to Real Madrid in the summer and named their youngest starting XI in Ligue 1 earlier this season as they implemented the plans of chairman Nasser Al Al-Khelaifi’s desire to turn to youth rather than big-money signings.