With two rounds before the inaugural stage of the Champions League, Real Madrid, Manchester City and Paris Saint-Germain are in real danger.
Teams must finish in the top eight to achieve automatic qualification to the round of 16. Teams from 9th to 24th enter a two-legged play-off round in February, with the winners taking the other eight places in the knockout stage.
Teams finishing anywhere between 25th and 36th will be eliminated from the competition – without access to the Europa League.
Thus, the three heavyweights of European football are at risk.
Paris Saint-Germain are facing complete elimination and are in 25th place despite a much-needed win at Red Bull Salzburg in their last Champions League game.
Manchester City have also had difficulties. Pep Guardiola’s side are 22nd, a long way off a coveted top-eight spot, and face PSG in a huge clash for both teams on Wednesday, January 22.
Real Madrid are only marginally better in 20th and got their first win in three by getting past Atalanta last time out.
A big gun, it seems increasingly likely, will fall.
Full table of the Champions League stage
Upcoming important matches of the Champions League
- January 22: PSG vs Man City, Real Madrid vs Red Bull Salzburg
- January 29: Brest vs Real Madrid, Man City vs Club Brugge, Stuttgart vs PSG
More disappointment on the way to Man City?
Two big names continue to be stuck 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 domestic form has improved in recent weeks as they head into two crucial European games with their clash with PSG on January 22 likely to be a must-win fixture.
Luis Enrique’s PSG side are finding life tough in Europe themselves, and their win in Salzburg was just their second of six games so far, having already lost to Bayern, Atletico Madrid and Arsenal .
They are in a rebuilding mode after losing Kylian Mbappe to Real Madrid in the summer, and named their youngest-ever Ligue 1 squad earlier this season as they comply with president Nasser Al-Khelaifi’s wishes to return youngsters to big-money signings. .
When are the 2024/25 Champions League knockout stages?
- Knockout round play-offs: 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
- End: 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.
