A potential nightmare scenario has arisen for Manchester City, with the possibility of being excluded from the next year’s Champions League looming over the club.

A potential nightmare scenario has arisen for Manchester City, with the possibility of being excluded from the next year’s Champions League looming over the club.

Pep Guardiola’s team currently holds the titles of FA Cup, Premier League, and Champions League champions. While their performance this season hasn’t matched the exceptional standards set last term, there is a strong belief that they will once again contend for major honors.

Kevin De Bruyne, a key figure in the team, is gradually returning to action after recovering from a hamstring injury sustained in City’s first game of the season against Burnley.

Additionally, Erling Haaland, who scored a club-record 52 goals across all competitions last season, is poised to make a comeback from injury during the crucial stages of the campaign.

Unexpected circumstances have arisen, potentially requiring Manchester City to secure the top spot in the Premier League to secure qualification for next season’s Champions League.

If Girona were to win La Liga and City were to lose the Premier League, it could prevent Guardiola’s team from participating in Europe’s premier competition next season. This is due to UEFA’s regulations on multi-model ownership, which prohibit two teams from the same ownership group from competing against each other.

In the scenario where two clubs from the same ownership group qualify for the same UEFA competition, the team that finishes higher in its domestic championship earns qualification. If both teams finish in the same position, the one with the highest club coefficient, in this case, Manchester City, would be granted qualification.

If Girona were to win La Liga and Manchester City finish second in the Premier League, the Spanish team would secure a place in next season’s Champions League while City would be relegated to the Europa League. Currently, this scenario is plausible, as Girona leads La Liga while Manchester City trails the Premier League leaders by five points.

The strong connection between Manchester City and Girona is evident. In August 2017, the City Football Group acquired a 44.3% stake in Girona in a joint venture with the Girona Football Group, owned by Pere Guardiola, the brother of City manager Pep Guardiola.

Since then, CFG has increased its stake to 47%, while Pere Guardiola now holds a 16% share. An additional 35% is owned by Marcelo Claure, the president of Bolivian club Club Bolivar, which is also part of CFG’s portfolio of 13 clubs.