The road to the Champions League will be a battle for Manchester City unless they improve quickly | OneFootball

If it wasn’t apparent before Manchester City’s 2-all draw with Brighton on Saturday, it is obvious to see now. Manchester City have a battle on their hands to qualify for the UEFA Champions League next season. Heading into the international break, Pep Guardiola’s side sits fifth in the Premier League table. They have Newcastle, Brighton, Fulham, Aston Villa and Bournemouth breathing down their necks for fifth spot. Chelsea sits fourth, a point ahead of Manchester City. A battle for Champions League qualification awaits Pep Guardiola’s side after the international break. That fact is now inescapable.

Manchester City have nine games left to play in the Premier League this season. Those games will be crucial to City’s chase for Champions League qualification. It doesn’t matter who City play; in their current state, every game is a challenge. At some point, Pep Guardiola’s side just has to find a way to overcome their opponents. Their past two games against Nottingham Forest and Brighton were crucial fixtures in the Champions League qualification race. But City only picked up a point from those two matches. Those two results further illustrate the fight that lies ahead of the world champions to secure a place in next season’s Champions League.

Pep Guardiola and Nico know that Manchester City face nine cup finals on the run home.

Pep Guardiola spoke of the situation his team is facing following his team’s draw with Brighton. The City manager emphasised the fact that his team now faces nine cup finals to end the Premier League season. Speaking post-game Guardiola said: “Nine games, nine finals. It looks like it [will go down to the last day]. Nine games still until the end of the season. We have tough games.”

Midfielder Nico echoed the sentiments of his manager following Manchester City’s draw with Brighton. In quotes relayed by ESPN, the Spanish midfielder said: “There are still so many games left, there are nine finals. We’ve talked a lot about this, that there are nine finals. Every game is a final for us. We played [against Brighton] as if it was a final and I’m pretty sure if we play like this, good results will come.”

A battle awaits Manchester City after the current international break. As Pep Guardiola and Nico pointed out City face nine cup finals to close out the 24/25 Premier League season. They simply must get the results they require to qualify for next season’s Champions League. There is no other alternative for Pep Guardiola’s side. If they can’t handle that situation then a disappointing season may have an even more disappointing ending.