What Man City needs to qualify for Champions League play-offs after PSG defeat

Manchester City are on the verge of elimination from the Champions League. Before their clash with Paris Saint-Germain, Pep Guardiola's men had gone three matches without a win in Europe's elite competition and were languishing in 24th place in the table, saved from the drop zone only by goal difference.

Now, after squandering a two-goal lead against the French giants, they have slipped to 25th. Jack Grealish put City in control shortly after the break before Erling Haaland doubled the Premier League champions' lead.

However, the tide turned at the Parc des Princes as Ousmane Dembélé and Bradley Barcola equalized for PSG. Then, less than fifteen minutes from time, Joao Neves opened the lead for the Parisians after being left unmarked at the far post.

In the final moments, Goncalo Ramos added insult to injury, making the score 4-2. So, with just one game left to save their European dreams, here's how City can still take the next step.

How does a team qualify for the knockout stages of the Champions League?

There are three different routes to reach the knockout stages of the Champions League. Teams finishing in the top eight automatically advance to the round of 16. Liverpool and Barcelona were the only teams to achieve this feat before matchday seven.

Those who finish in ninth through 16th place will be seeded in the playoffs (playing at home in the second leg), and they will be drawn against those who finish in 17th through 24th place. The winners of each two-legged match will earn a place in the round of 16.

Teams that finish in the bottom 12 – 25th to 36th – will be eliminated from the competition, without access to the Europa League. A defeat against PSG significantly reduced City's chances of qualifying.

What do Man City need to progress in the Champions League?

City are five points adrift of 8th and there are 16 teams in the play-offs above them. The chances of automatically qualifying for the round of 16 are now impossible, as are the chances of securing a place in the play-offs.

But they can still salvage an unseeded playoff spot. PSG have now moved ahead of them in the table, meaning City must defeat Club Brugge at the Etihad Stadium in their final match.

Enrique's team will face Stuttgart in their final match. According to Opta, City had an 84% chance of reaching the play-offs before their defeat in the French capital.

What is the incentive to finish in the top eight in the Champions League?

The teams that finish among the top eight in the Champions League standings will advance quickly to the round of 16 and play at home in the second leg. So, if City qualify for the playoffs and reach the round of 16, they will play at home in the first leg and away in the second leg.

How much money could City be short of?

Each club participating in the Champions League earns a whopping €18.6 million (£15.7 million) simply for participating, with additional performance-related bonuses of €2.1 million ( £1.8 million) per win and €700,000 (£592,000) per draw. caught. Each move up the league table can net teams a cool €275,000 (£233,000), and those spots clinched from 1st to 8th also bring in a nice bonus of €2 million (£1.7 million). sterling).

Those who land between the 9th and 16th aren't left out either, with a reward of €1 million (£850,000). A more detailed breakdown of the remaining prices is shown in the table below.

Additionally, UEFA has implemented a “value pillar”, ensuring that broadcast revenue is shared between teams based on their ranking in the league stage. If City pull out early, they risk losing a significant portion of the matchday's revenue as well as potential prize money – in short, it's a costly failure.

This article was originally published in the Manchester Evening News