Manchester City face an uphill battle to secure Champions League football next season, with their league position outside the top five at the start of the new year. Pep Guardiola's side have struggled for consistency, but a potential boost could come from the Premier League securing an extra Champions League spot.
Manchester City are in an unfamiliar position of starting a new year outside the top five in the Premier League . The Blues have struggled in recent weeks and months, and a win over Leicester City on Sunday improved their run to two wins in 14 in all competitions. West Ham United visit the Etihad on Saturday seeking back-to-back top flight victories for the first time since late October.
Pep Guardiola has already conceded the title is out of reach, with leaders Liverpool 14 points clear of the Blues with a game in hand. Qualifying for next season's Champions League has to be the target for City, who have not missed out on a place in Europe's elite competition since 2011. And they could be handed a boost in that ambition with the Premier League currently set to secure an extra Champions League spot. The top four qualify automatically but fifth could be enough depending on the coefficient performances of clubs in Europe. Last season, the Premier League missed out to Serie A and the Bundesliga but this term has started promisingly for England's European contingent and that significantly raises the prospects of an extra place in the Champions League for 2025-26. City will still hope to finish inside the top four domestically with Chelsea showing signs of weakness in recent weeks while Nottingham Forest would have to further exceed expectations to hold their position until May. With Manchester United and Tottenham floundering there is an opportunity for City to be best placed to chase down Liverpool and Arsenal. The Blues will also hope to seal European progress to the play-off round in the coming weeks and their showings on the continent will have a direct impact on whether fifth place in the Premier League earns an extra spot in the Champions League. The two extra places go to the two leagues with the best average coefficient scores, which takes into account performances across all three European competition
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