EUROPEAN EMPHASIS ESCALATES FOR CITY

With EPL title defence in tatters, they turn attention to Juventus in Champions League

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LONDON - Manchester City's malaise leaves the English champions in the unusual position of fretting over qualification for the knockout stage of the Champions League ahead of a trip to Italian giants Juventus on Dec 11.

City have won just once in their past nine games in all competitions, with an injury crisis and a loss of form for some of their biggest stars leading to the worst run of Pep Guardiola's managerial career.

But despite a 4-1 humbling by Sporting Lisbon and an embarrassing collapse from 3-0 up to draw 3-3 against Feyenoord, they are still in a position to qualify from the new league-phase format.

They were 17th in the 36-team table before the round of fixtures on Dec 10, with a top-24 finish enough to secure a place in the play-off round.

However, their chances of direct entry to the last 16 by finishing in the top eight look slim, with another difficult trip to Paris Saint-Germain to come in January before a home game against Club Brugge.