Pressure on Madrid, PSG to ignite campaign

Twenty-four clubs will advance to the knockout stage, with the top eight qualifying directly for the last 16 and the other 16 going into two-legged playoffs

The enlarged first stage of the revamped Champions League was supposed to be a stroll for giants of European soccer like Real Madrid, Paris Saint-Germain and Manchester City.

It’s proving anything but that. In fact, heading into the sixth of eight rounds in the new-look, 36-team league format, there’s a growing risk of an embarrassingly early exit for Madrid and City — the winners of the last two Champions League titles — as well as PSG, the French champion which is doing by far the worst out of the four Ligue 1 teams in the competition. Twenty-four clubs will advance to the knockout stage, with the top eight qualifying directly for the last 16 and the other 16 going into two-legged playoffs.

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PSG is currently in 25th place — and therefore out of the qualifying picture — while Kylian Mbappe and Madrid are only one place higher, hanging onto the last qualifying spot. They both play away from home this week in their third-to-last games, with Madrid facing a tough trip to Atalanta and PSG having what looks to be an easier game at Salzburg, also on Tuesday.

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