Tough competition for Man City at UEFA Champions League. Manchester City, the reigning two-time Premier League champions, is one of the favorites to win the UEFA Champions League (UCL) this year. The Citizens have advanced to the semifinals, where they will play Real Madrid, and have not yet suffered a defeat in a European match this season. The Santiago Bernabeu will host the first leg of the match on May 9.
Many people believe that City will finally end their UEFA Champions League curse if they can defeat Los Blancos and one of Inter Milan or AC Milan, who will play in the other semifinal. However, their possible triumph has generated a new query.
Will the team that comes in fifth in the Premier League this season qualify for Europe’s top competition next season if Manchester City wins this year’s UCL?
The response, according to Metro, is no. Only the teams who finish the season in the top four spots in the Premier League standings will be eligible for the UEFA Champions League. Only the UEFA Europa League will be open to the fifth-placed team in 2023–24.
With a game remaining, Manchester City currently holds a one-point advantage over Arsenal in second place in the English top division. Manchester United is fourth, and Newcastle United is third. However, despite playing one more game than Liverpool in fifth place, the Red Devils are only ahead of them by one point.
As things stand, if City wins the UCL, the winners of the Ukrainian Premier League will automatically qualify for the Champions League group stages the following season. With five games left, Shakhtar Donetsk currently leads Ukraine’s first division.
Manchester City wants to defeat Real Madrid in UEFA Champions League match to maintain their treble aspirations:
At this time, only Manchester City has a chance to win the triple this season. While AC Milan and Inter Milan have already witnessed S.S.C. Napoli win the Serie A championship, Real Madrid is on the verge of losing La Liga.
As was already mentioned, City now sits atop the Premier League standings. In their final four games, they will play Everton, Chelsea, Brighton & Hove Albion, and Brentford. Additionally, Pep Guardiola’s team will face Manchester United in the FA Cup final the following month.
But for the time being, they must pay attention to the UEFA Champions League. Incredibly, Real Madrid miraculously came back to defeat Manchester City in the semifinals of the previous campaign. With Tuesday night’s match in Madrid as their first opportunity, the Citizens now have a chance to exact retribution and carry on their quest for a treble.
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