Manchester City is at the rupture point of a humiliating champions league after a surprising defeat against Paris Saint-Germain on Wednesday, and Real Madrid is no longer in danger after sending to Salzburg.
Man City exploited a two-goal lead in a high-stakes clash of super-rich subaches that PSG won 4-2 in Paris, but can still be withdrawn throughout the English champions after the final stage of games next week.
Only the 24 most sensible in the 36-team standings will progress and Man City, the 2023 Champions, will start in 25th place, but will want to make the playoffs via Beating Club Brugge.
“We will do everything there and if we do not, we do not deserve it,” said Manager Pep Guardiola about the game in Manchester in a week. Brugge wants a tie to advance.
The PSG has reached position 22 to establish some other tense challenge, in position 24 Stuttgart that will probably have to win.
Going into the part of the moment in Paris, he had been in a position to send PSG into the draw through a two-goal lead. Jack Grelish, a part-time substitute, scored in the 50th minute that his pass through the mouth deflected to Erling Haaland for 4 moments later.
In a remarkable six minutes, PSG’s level targets Ousmane Dembele and Bradley Barcola, and a surprising change ended in the 78th when Joao Neves led the decisive goal. Gonçalo Ramos added a fourth in time.
After winning a record 15th European title last season, then signing France star Kylian Mbappé in the offseason, it probably should not have been such a drama for Real Madrid to reach the knockout stages in the new Champions League format.
But three losses in six games — to Lille, AC Milan and Liverpool — left Madrid in 22nd place at kickoff Wednesday, before swatting aside Salzburg 5-1 to rise into 16th.
Brazil stars Rodrygo and Vinícius Júnior each scored twice, in each aspect of a purpose for Kylian Mbappe, in an inadequacy before the FIFA Club World Cup group assembly in Philadelphia on June 26.
Arsenal and Inter have secured the expected victories in the third and fourth, respectively, but they are not yet sure to join Liverpool and Barcelona in the 8 most sensible ones that progress to 16.
Arsenal beat Dinamo Zagreb 3-0 and Inter won 1-0 at Sparta Prague, who lifted to 16 points, 3 behind ninth-placed Aston village.
AC Milan quietly went about its business rising to sixth place with a 1-0 win against Girona at San Siro, on a powerful strike in the first half by Rafael Leão.
Bayern Munich fell to a 3-0 defeat in Feyenoord and fell 15º in the swamp in the MID table of vegetable clubs, adding Madrid and Juventus, which will probably face the playoffs in February.
The teams that finish Nos. 15-18 in the standings next week will be drawn against each other in the playoffs — for the right to face Liverpool and, likely, Barcelona in the round of 16.
Bayern is fortunate to have one of the easier-seeming final games, at home to Slovan Bratislava, which has lost seven straight.
Celtic received their position on the direct removal tours by winning 1-0 opposite the boys in the last position, the other team to lose seven times.
Leipzig finished his race of the race for six games with a 2-1 victory in Sporting Lisboa, the Portuguese champion still has favored to advance. Shakhtar Donetsk remained in the race, alone, with a 2-0 victory opposed to Brest, which will be in the direct elimination phase.
The 36 groups will be in action at the same time next Wednesday in 18 games that will begin at the same time: nine p. m. Central European time (2000 GMT).
The top eight in the final standings get a break until March, waiting for the round of 16. Teams that finish from ninth to 24th enter the knockout playoffs. Those two-leg pairings are drawn Jan. 31 at UEFA headquarters in Nyon, Switzerland.
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