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European Performance Spot: Pep Guardiola is pleased that the Premier League will be afforded five Champions League places next season and expects the fight to qualify will go right down to the wire.

The extra European Performance Spot for 2025/26 was triggered courtesy of Arsenal’s victory over Real Madrid in the first leg of their UCL quarter-final. Guardiola’s City are in sixth place with a one-point gap to Newcastle United, having played one game more than the Toons.

The City boss believes it will be a close run thing given the amount of teams vying for entry into the elite European competition.