- Manchester City’s Champions League campaign is in serious trouble after 2-0 loss to Juventus
- PSG still in elimination zone despite 3-0 win over RB Salzburg
- Barcelona edge out Dortmund in five goal thriller
Champions League matchday six is in the books and it was yet another night to forget for Manchester City.
Pep Guardiola’s team, who lifted the trophy last year, followed up a humbling 4-1 loss to Sporting CP and a calamitous 3-3 draw with Feyenoord by losing 2-0 to Juventus in Turin. It is a defeat that leaves the 2023 champions just one point above the elimination zone.
City only have two more games remaining to salvage their European campaign. But with one of those games coming against fellow strugglers Paris Saint-Germain – a fellow European giant in danger of dropping out of continental competition altogether- it is going to be easier said than done for the Premier League champions to secure their safety. Tonight’s defeat all but confirms that City will not finish inside the top eight, which means they will have to endure a playoff tie if they are to make it to the Round of 16. An additional two fixtures the Citizens could really do without amid an already chaotic schedule.
The aforementioned PSG, meanwhile, picked up an urgently needed three points against RB Salzburg, coming away from Austria with a 3-0 victory. Luis Enrique’s Ligue Un champions remain in 25th place, one point behind Dinamo Zagreb, PSV Eindhoven and City, ahead of their hosting of Pep Guardiola’s charges in the French capital next month.
Elsewhere, Real Madrid bolstered their chances of avoiding elimination with a vital 3-2 away win over Atalanta, leaving Los Blancos in 20th spot, just two points above the dreaded 25th place. Kylian Mbappe scored his 50th Champions League goal during the victory in Bergamo, but left the match with an injury shortly after.
Barcelona solidified their place in the top eight with a thrilling 3-2 away victory over Borussia Dortmund, who are ninth, one place and one point outside the automatic qualification spots. Lamine Yamal continued his astonishing ascent to the pinnacle of world football with yet another Player of The Match performance. Just imagine what he could be doing in a couple of years time.
A Bukayo Saka inspired Arsenal trounced Monaco 3-0 at the Emirates to maintain their top eight spot, a result that leaves the Monte Carlo lot staring perilously over their shoulders in 16th place towards 25th spot and beyond. German champions Bayer Leverkusen stunned Italian champions Inter with a late show to take all three points at the San Siro, leaving the teams fourth and sixth respectively. Meanwhile Aston Villa continued their excellent form on their return to the European Cup with a 3-2 triumph in Leipzig, leaving Unai Emery’s team in fifth.
The Brest fairytale continued with a 1-0 win over PSV, meaning the French underdogs maintained the momentum that has stunned Europe. Eleventh in Ligue Un, seventh in the Champions League league stage. Long may it continue.
Lille are currently rounding out the top eight after they edged out Sturm Graz by the odd goal in five.
Eagerly keeping the pressure on the top eight are Bayern Munich and Atletico Madrid, who comfortably defeated Shakhtar Donetsk and Slovan Bratislava respectively. AC Milan made it four Champions League victories in a row, too, following their narrow 2-1 home win over Crvena Zvezda. Only one point keeps Milan, Bayern and Atleti out of the top eight with just two matches remaining.
At the wrong end of the table, Young Boys, Bratislava and Leipzig’s exits were confirmed, with all three teams pointless after six match days.
Matchday seven now looks even more crucial, especially for the likes of City, who need to come away from Paris next month with three points, otherwise their European campaign could slip away from them in much the same way as their domestic campaign has done over the last month.
