Manchester City may not qualify for next season’s Champions League, says Pep Guardiola

Guardiola’s side host Everton on Boxing Day, before a trip to Leicester on 29 December and a home match against West Ham on 4 January.

Given all three opponents are in the bottom seven, it offers City a chance to improve on an appalling recent record of four points from eight games, which Guardiola acknowledges has left their lofty European ambitions in doubt.

“The one team that has been in the Champions League for the past years has been Manchester City,” he added.

“Now we are at risk, of course we are. Definitely.”

Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester United finished in the Premier League’s top four from the 2005-06 season to 2008-09. At least three of them also occupied the top four spots for 15 successive campaigns until 2012.

But United have spent five out of the past 11 seasons outside the Champions League. Arsenal spent six seasons out of the competition before returning last term. Liverpool missed out all but one year in seven from 2010, while Chelsea are in their second successive campaign outside Europe’s elite.

This term the threat to City comes from unexpected sources. As well as Forest and Bournemouth, Aston Villa are ahead of City, while Newcastle, Fulham and Brighton are also within a couple of points.

“There are a lot of contenders,” said Guardiola, whose side have lost nine of their last 12 games in all competitions. “For every club it is so important and if we are not winning games, we will be out.

“If we don’t qualify it is because we don’t deserve it, because we were not prepared and because we had a lot of problems and didn’t solve them.”