Manchester City risk missing out on next season’s Champions League due to their recent dip in form, manager Pep Guardiola has said.
City, seeking to qualify for Europe’s biggest club competition for a 15th consecutive season, have won just one of their last eight Premier League games and are seventh in the table, 12 points behind the leaders Liverpool.
Only Arsenal between 1998 and 2017, and Manchester United between 1996 and 2014, have a longer qualifying record among English clubs.
“Ho, ho, ho Cityzens!” 🎅
A festive message from our players 👇
-Manchester City (@ManCity) December 25, 2024
Guardiola’s side are four points behind Nottingham Forest, who occupy the fourth and final Champions League qualifying spot at Christmas.
“When I said it earlier, people laughed. They said: “Qualifying for the Champions League is not a great achievement.” But I know it because it happens in clubs in this country,” Guardiola told reporters ahead of their home game against Everton on Boxing Day.
“They dominated for many years and after many years they did not qualify for the Champions League.
“The only team that has participated in the Champions League in recent years is Manchester City. Now we are at risk, of course.
“If we don’t qualify, it’s because we don’t deserve to, because we weren’t prepared and because we had a lot of problems and we didn’t solve them.”
After hosting Everton later on Thursday, City travel to face Leicester City on December 29.
