• City have qualified for 14 seasons in a row
• Manager says he still has full backing of club hierarchy

Pep Guardiola has admitted he fears Manchester City will not qualify for the Champions League. The club are in the tournament for a 14th con­secutive season but an extraordinary slump has left them “at risk”, said the manager, who acknowledged there would be financial as well as sporting repercussions.

City are seventh in the Premier League, four points behind Notting­ham Forest who are in fourth. Fifth spot could secure a Champions League berth, with Uefa rewarding two leagues with an extra place based on their clubs’ performances in all European competitions this season, but Guardiola was clear about his concern as he prepared for a Boxing Day visit from Everton.