Manchester City’s chances of a top eight finish in the Champions League were severely dented by their draw with Feyenoord on Tuesday night.
Pep Guardiola’s side were three up before collapsing late on to draw 3-3. The result leaves City on eight points from five games and down in 15th spot in the 36-team table.
The Blues could drop further once Wednesday night’s matches are complete. City have won two, drawn two and lost one of their games so far and face away trips to Juventus and PSG in their next two European outings before closing the group stage at home to Brugges.
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City are almost certain to require at least seven points and quite probably nine with 16 the generally accepted marker for a top eight finish and a straight passage into the last 16. Nine sides have already reached double figures and the likes of Inter Milan, Barcelona and Liverpool are well set to earn a top eight spot.
For City, the increasing likelihood is they will have to negotiate the play-off round in February, adding two more matches to an already crowded schedule. Guardiola’s men would have to drop out of the top 24 to be eliminated, an unlikely scenario given the struggles several sides are facing in Europe’s elite competition.
“Right now I am not ready to think about that [needing to win their final three games to finish top eight],” said Guardiola after Tuesday’s draw. “We have to recover and prepare for the next game. If we are not able to win games like we did today it is difficult to do it.”
