Manchester City’s Odds For Next Season’s Champions League Hang In Balance

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola fears his club might not qualify for the Champions League next season. 

After a series of flop shows in the last couple of months, Guardiola does not see City making it to the top European league for the 2025-26 season. 

Manchester City are seventh in the Premier League points table after 17 matches, four points behind Nottingham Forest in fourth and a point behind fifth-placed Bournemouth.

They are currently playing their 14th consecutive season in the Champions League and winning their last trophy in 2023.

Only Arsenal between 1998 and 2017, and Manchester United between 1996 and 2014, have a longer record of appearing in the competition among English clubs.

“Financial is an issue, of course it is,” he said, “but it’s not just that. Now we’re at risk, of course we are, definitely. When I said before [this could happen], people laughed. It’s presumptuous: us winning the Premier League.

“They said: ‘Ah, qualifying for the Champions League is not a big success.’ I know it [can happen], because it happens with clubs in this country. They were dominant for many years and, after many years, not qualifying for the Champions League.”

In a very unlikely development, City collected only four points from the last eight games. However, they now have a chance to improve on their standings in the Premier League as they now face teams which are  in the bottom seven.  

Guardiola’s side host Everton on Boxing Day (December 26), before visiting Leicester on 29 December and will welcome West Ham on 4 January.

“There are a lot of contenders,” said Guardiola, whose side have lost nine of their last 12 games in all competitions. “For every club it is so important and if we are not winning games, we will be out.

“If we don’t qualify it is because we don’t deserve it, because we were not prepared and because we had a lot of problems and didn’t solve them.”

Manchester United were outside the Champions League on five occasions out of the past 11 seasons. Arsenal spent six seasons out of the competition before returning last term. Liverpool missed out all but one year in seven from 2010, while Chelsea are in their second successive campaign outside Europe’s elite.

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