Champions League: Man City, Real Madrid and PSG all at risk of elimination with three games to go | Football News

With three rounds to go in the first phase of the Champions League, Real Madrid, Manchester City, Juventus and Paris Saint-Germain are in serious danger.

To automatically qualify for the round of 16, teams must finish in the top eight.

Places nine to 24 will take part in a home-and-away play-off round in February, with the winners taking the other eight places.

Teams finishing anywhere between 25th and 36th will be eliminated from this season’s competition and will not have access to the Europa League.

Four heavyweights of European football are currently in danger. Paris Saint Germain are facing complete elimination along with the defending champions real Madrid in 18th place after a narrow win at Atalanta on Tuesday.

Manchester City also have problems. Pep Guardiola’s side are only in 17th place, a long way from a coveted top eight spot.

This also applies to 19th place Juventuswho will face City on Wednesday in what could be a crucial game in the race for qualification.

It seems increasingly likely that a big gun will fall.

The complete table of the Champions League phases

This week’s crucial Champions League games

• December 11th: Juventus vs. Man City, kick-off at 8 p.m

More frustration for Man City?

Two big names continue to fail in the lower echelons of the table: Man City and Juventus.

They are level on points – Guardiola’s City side are only ahead on goal difference – heading into Tuesday’s clash, but there could be more frustration here for the 2022/23 champions.

Man City halted the decline with a routine win against Nottingham Forest last week, but stumbled in their next game against Crystal Palace, where they dropped two more points after a 2-2 draw away from home.

Juventus is a team that is being rebuilt under Thiago Motta and features several young and exciting players, but who have proven their resilience in the competition so far.

Goals were difficult to score but their defensive performances were stoic. Only Arsenal, Liverpool, Aston Villa, Atalanta and Inter Milan have conceded fewer than five goals so far.

An ominous statistic that will likely stay with City as the team desperately needs a win to qualify and boost their confidence.

Mandatory game for PSG

Things have been going downhill for PSG since they started their European campaign with a 1-0 win over Girona, but they have endured one of the toughest fixture lists in the Champions League yet.

This was followed by defeats against Arsenal, Atlético Madrid and Bayern Munich as well as point losses against PSV, which saw them slip to 25th place.

Therefore, the duel against RB Salzburg, who are one of the few teams below them in 34th place, will now be a must-win game for the Ligue 1 champions.

Will it continue after that? Fellow fighters Man City. The survival of last season’s semi-finalists now depends on their next two appearances.

When will the knockout rounds of the 2024/25 Champions League take place?

• Play-offs of the knockout round: 11./12. February and 18/19. February 2025
• Round of 16: 4th/5th March and 11th/12th March 2025
• Quarterfinals: 8th/9th April and 15th/16th April 2025
• Semi-finals: 29th/30th April and 6th/7th May 2025
• Final: May 31, 2025

When and where will the 2025 Champions League final take place?

The 2024/25 UEFA Champions League season will take place on May 31, 2025 in Munich at the Allianz Arena.