Vincent Kompany is eyeing a place in the top eight of the new Champions League format with Bayern Munich despite back-to-back losses in the competition.
Bayern welcome Benfica to the Allianz Arena on Wednesday, hoping to recover from defeats to Aston Villa and Barcelona, the first time they have failed to win consecutive games in the competition since April 2017.
Kompany's started their Champions League campaign with a 9-2 thrashing of Dinamo Zagreb, but have since plummeted down the new league table.
They find themselves 23rd after three matches. However, they have fared better in the Bundesliga, sitting three points clear at the top of the table after nine games.
"What we know is you have to win around six (of eight) games to reach the top eight," Kompany said.
"You have to win three games and that should be enough for the playoffs. My goal is to reach the top eight."
Bayern last failed to reach the Champions League knockout stages in 2002-03, finishing bottom of a group that featured Deportivo La Coruna, Lens and Milan.
But despite their stuttering start in the competition so far, Kompany said the new format plays no role in the team's planning.
"I don't want to think too far ahead because we have enough games," Kompany said.
"We have to win against Benfica. I don't want to spend too much time thinking about what could happen in January.
"No one knows how it will work. We only know we want to win tomorrow. We play at home. That is my only goal."
Bayern, however, have every confidence of getting their European campaign back on track, with the German outfit boasting an impressive record against Benfica.
They have played 12 major European matches against Benfica and have never lost (W9 D3).
But Bruno Lage's side will be looking to buck that trend, having beaten Atletico Madrid and Red Star Belgrade so far, but they did lose to Feyenoord last time out.
"We have a lot of confidence going into this game. We will always adapt and take the steps that are right for the team," Kompany said.
"But to say we will change everything is not serious. We just want to win again at home.
West Ham confirms Antonio in stable condition following motor vehicle accident
West Ham United have confirmed that Reggae Boyz striker Michail Antonio is in stable condition following a road traffic accident on Saturday.
“Michail is conscious and communicating and is currently under close supervision at a central London Hospital,” the Premier League club communicated on X Saturday afternoon.
The news of Antonio’s accident earlier today sparked concern among fans and the footballing community, with many offering their own messages of support for the player, who has been a key figure for both club and country.
“At this difficult time, we kindly ask everyone to respect the privacy of Michail and his family,” the statement added.
The club will issue no further comments today but will issue a further update soon.
Bruno Guimaraes wants Newcastle to put defence first after Brentford loss
Newcastle's winless run stretched to four Premier League games as Eddie Howe's side lost 4-2 away at Brentford on Saturday.
As the hosts maintained their unbeaten home record in league action this season, the full-time whistle drew frustration and more questions for the Magpies, who failed to break the Bees down in the closing stages.
A chaotic first half saw four goals fly in at a windy Gtech Community Stadium, as Newcastle twice came from behind, via Alexander Isak and Harvey Barnes before the break.
Their defensive fragility, however, was punished after the restart, as Nathan Collins prodded home, as the visitors defence failed to deal with a punted free kick into their penalty area from Mark Flekken.
As Howe's charges pushed for a third equaliser late on, their ragged back line was exposed again, as Kevin Schade raced through to slot home a clinching goal.
Captain Bruno Guimaraes offered no excuses at full time as the Brazil international struggled to explain why his team are struggling against direct attacks this season.
"It's very disappointing. In the first half we had some good moments, but after the third goal we lost our way, we lost control," he told PLP, via BBC Sport.
"We have always been reactive, we need to concede a goal to score one ourselves. We never score first, we concede a lot of goals, this cannot happen. We have to find a way to be consistent.
"After we conceded the third goal, we became a mess, gave the ball away a lot, and we were punished. We have to turn things around. Last season we had one of the best defences in the league, now we concede a lot. It's about the whole team, we have to find a way not to concede."
Guimaraes' frustration is backed up by some concerning recent defensive numbers for Newcastle, with no clean sheet in their last five league games, and 11 goals conceded.
However, the doom and gloom for Newcastle was in sharp contrast to a buoyant Thomas Frank, who saw his side record a fifth successive home Premier League win.
The Danish boss hailed the resilience of his players, and singled out goalscorers Bryan Mbeumo and Yoane Wissa for praise, as the duo moved onto nine Premier League goals each in 2024/25.
"I'm very happy, it was a great performance in many ways. The way we performed today physically, and with quality against a very good Newcastle side, I'm very proud of my players.
"Wissa, the way he links up and goes forward, and gets behind the back line for tap ins. Bryan Mbeumo today was unplayable. The way he holds the ball up and links play, as he did to Kevin Schade [for the fourth goal] was very impressive."
Crystal Palace 2-2 Manchester City: Lewis equaliser rescues a point for Guardiola's side
Crystal Palace and Manchester City shared the points in an entertaining 2-2 draw at Selhurst Park on Saturday.
It was a result that extended the reigning champions’ winless away run to four league matches, while they have now won just one of their last nine matches in all competitions.
Palace caused Pep Guardiola’s side plenty of problems and merited a point that continues their recent upturn in form.
Daniel Munoz gave the hosts the lead inside four minutes, slotting past City goalkeeper Stefan Ortega from a Will Hughes pass.
But Erling Haaland ended a three-game Premier League goal drought and equalised for the visitors with a header after 31 minutes.
The two sides also shared a goal apiece in the second half, with Maxence Lacroix and Rico Lewis both hitting the target.
Lewis, meanwhile, was sent off for a second bookable offence in the 84th minute, just when City had finally wrestled control of the game.
But neither side were able to find a winner and following the draw, City remain fourth in the Premier League and eight points behind leaders Liverpool. Crystal Palace, meanwhile, climbed a place to 16th and are four points above the bottom three.
Data Debrief: City's away jitters continue
City went into the game having lost their last five games on the road in all competitions, and their poor away form did not improve after dropping two more points at Selhurst Park.
Guardiola's side have also conceded twice in each of their last four away fixtures. The visitors generated an xG of 1.41 from 12 attempts, which is only slightly better than the xG of 1.3 that Palace had from the same number of attempts.
Though Guardiola's side had four shots on target, one more than the hosts, they failed to find a winner and settled for the point.
Palace, meanwhile, are undefeated in their last four games in the Premier League.
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