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MANCHESTER City may be established European juggernauts – but the new league format has made things trickier to navigate.

Following defeat to Paris Saint-Germain, the Sky Blues sit 25th in the League Phase table – just outside the play-off spots – on eight points with one more game to fight for.

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Anything other than win in City’s last league game will end their Champions League campaign[/caption]

Pep Guardiola’s side had the chance to put themselves in a reassuring position in their penultimate game in Paris, but the 4-2 capitulation – when they led by two – has given advantage back to direct rivals PSG.

City’s final game will pit them against fellow last 16 hopefuls Club Brugge at the Etihad on Wednesday.

Brugge, one of nine teams still in contention for a playoff spot, sit 20th on 11 points.

PSG and last playoff spot holder, Stuttgart, also clash on the final matchday.

What do Man City need to guarantee qualification to the Champions League last 16?

For City to progress they must secure a win due to goal difference of the teams around them.

The introduced eight-game ‘Swiss model’ has scrapped the traditional 32-team group stage of Europe’s top club competitions for a 36-team league phase.

The top eight automatically qualify for the last 16 and are joined by the winners of a play-off round between those that finished ninth to 24th.

Those that finish 25th to 36th are eliminated from all European competition – teams no longer drop into the Europa League.

According to Opta’s supercomputer – which simulates the 2024-25 UCL league phase 50,000 times to work out a team’s Champions League knockout likelihood – City have an expected points of 10.1.

According to that algorithm, City had an 84 per cent chance of reaching the play-offs prior to their defeat in the French capital.

The new tally of 63.8 per cent still gives them a chance of playoff qualification, but there is plenty of room for error with a 36.2 per cent chance of elimination.

Despite the array of permutations and the number of teams involved, City’s task remains simple – win and they qualify for the play-off round.

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DESPITE the loss to Monaco last week, Aston Villa are still among possible contenders for automatic Champions League qualification.

The Villans’ high flying Champions League campaign took another hitch as an uninspiring 1-0 defeat in Monaco left them outside the top eight – which guarantees progression to the last 16.

Reuters

A win in Villa’s final league game will give them a chance of qualifying for the Champions League last 16[/caption]

Unai Emery’s men are ninth in the League Phase table, joint on 13 points with five other teams, including Bayer Leverkusen, who occupy the final automatic spot.

So far, Villa have won four, drew once and lost twice.

What do Aston Villa need to do to guarantee Champions League round of 16 qualification?

Their final game, Celtic at home, provides an enticing affair where only a win will give them a chance to go straight into the Round of 16.

The opportunity arose after Bayern Munich’s shock defeat to Feyenoord and Brest’s defeat.

Those not in the top eight positions either fall into the play-off spots – ninth to 24th – or are immediately eliminated.

Villa are offered the security blanket of at least a play-off spot.

Opta have calculated that the Midlands side are favourites to scrape the all-decisive eight spot.

A supercomputer simulation – that estimates the likelihood of teams finishing in the competition – has Villa down for a 52.6 per cent probability of clinching it.

For that to happen, Villa will have to beat Celtic and also need one of Bayer Leverkusen, Atletico Madrid, AC Milan or Atalanta to not follow suit.

The teams behind Villa – Monaco, Feyenoord, Lille and Brest – can also match the former’s final tally but their goal difference is inferior.

Villa’s potential for a seeded spot will likely hinge on Atalanta and whether they can beat Barcelona – which would be needed to stay in the top eight.

All outcomes are permutation-driven and ultimately out of Villa’s hand, who can only win to give themselves the best possible chance.

JOHN HIGGINS opened up over snooker’s “brutal struggles” after beating Mark Davis at the German Masters.

The Scottish ace put in a strong performance as he secured victory in a 5-3 win.

PA

John Higgins has opened up over the brutality of snooker[/caption]

Higgins’ next match in Germany will see him take on Jak Jones later today.

But the snooker star admits he’s still reeling from his early exit at the Masters this month.

Higgins was drawn against Neil Robertson in the first round of the competition.

The Aussie only got the call to play as a replacement for Ronnie O’Sullivan, who withdrew on medical grounds.

Higgins looked on course to seal win as he went 5-1 up at Ally Pally.

But disaster struck as he lost the next five frames, handing Robertson victory.

And Higgins has now talked about how painful he is starting to find snooker.

The fan favourite admitted his recent “brutal struggles” have been making a real impact on him.

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But he hopes to get some positive feeling back by making good progress in Germany.

Higgins said: “This is a sport that has given me so much over the years.

“But it begins to take your soul bit by bit.

“This has been a good sport for me but as you fall down the rankings it can begin to take that bit of goodness.

“It is a brutal sport sometimes.

“That was a good win. Mark has always been really tough and given me some tough battles.

“It is always a good game when I play him and that was another one.”