Manchester City And PSG Battle To Avoid Elimination In Dramatic Champions League Decider

The 2024/25 edition of the Champions League introduces many innovations, with the most significant being a groundbreaking new format for the competition.

In the 36-team table, most teams are fighting to the end for a place in the next round, and it is the close margins in all parts of the table that are giving fans a thrill unlike anything the competition has seen before.

On Wednesday evening, all 18 matches of the final round will take place simultaneously, ensuring two hours filled with excitement and uncertainty as teams vie for a place in the playoffs.

Losing and Its Implications

Aside from Liverpool and Barcelona’s certain progression straight into the eighth round and the elimination of nine teams, including RB Leipzig, virtually every other team is still in play.

A mere three-point difference separates third-placed Arsenal from thirteenth-placed Brest, indicating that every goal scored could significantly influence the final standings.

The competition is equally fierce among teams ranked ninth to 24th, ensuring at least a February playoff for a chance to qualify for the subsequent round of 16.

Teams still hoping to advance include PSV Eindhoven, Club Brugge and Benfica.

However, most of the attention will be on Paris Saint-Germain and Manchester City on Wednesday night, as both massive clubs could be eliminated from the competition.

As mentioned, for some favorites, the final round is turning into an existential battle. The city unexpectedly finds itself in danger.

Following a series of disappointing results, highlighted by a recent 4-2 loss to PSG, their chances of advancing have significantly diminished.

What Manchester City needs to qualify

In their final match, Pep Guardiola and his team must secure a home victory against Brugge; failure to do so will result in elimination from the competition.

Perhaps needless to say, for City, who have been regulars in knockout rounds in recent years, failure would be a fiasco.

The match at the Etihad Stadium will, therefore, be not only about promotion but also about the reputation of the entire club.

With their victory over City, the French giants PSG have risen to 22nd place, which currently guarantees a playoff spot, although nothing is guaranteed.

In the final round, PSG will encounter a formidable opponent in Stuttgart, who are fiercely competing in the Champions League and share the same point total as their French rivals.

The German team, currently in 24th place, needs at least a draw to keep their hopes of qualifying alive. For PSG, a loss could spell the end. Stuttgart also has a home advantage and solid form. They had won four games in a row until the weekend.

The not-so-small matter of seeding

For the teams that have already secured promotion, however, it is not a formality. Their position in the table will fundamentally influence their further journey through the competition.

The top four teams will be split into separate divisions in the knockout stage and will avoid facing each other until the quarter-finals at the earliest.

On the other hand, the seventh or eighth-placed teams could face a top-ten opponent in the round of 16.

Qualified Teams and Standing 

Liverpool and Barcelona, both guaranteed direct qualification to the round of 16, will be keenly watching the standings, as their upcoming opponents could include formidable clubs such as Bayern Munich, Juventus, or Real Madrid.

Similarly, other giants such as Arsenal, Inter, or Atletico Madrid, whose positions in the top eight are not yet confirmed, will have to be very careful.