Can Man City play in the Champions League if they are relegated?

Manchester City cannot stop winning football matches. Eight games played, seven wins and one defeat, still top of the Premier League, and already looking like the team to beat again.

Enzo Maresca's side are doing their best to behave as though nothing has changed. And yet none of it matters as much as what is happening off the pitch.

An independent commission has already found City guilty of 114 out of 115 Premier League financial charges, between 2009-10 and 2017-18. While the club maintains its innocence and has lodged an appeal, the possibility of a heavy points deduction, or even relegation to the Championship, is no longer fantasy.

For now, it's business as usual. Still unbeaten in the league and playing Champions League football, City still have realistic ambitions of winning it for a second time.

Capable of beating anyone on their day. But here is the question every fan, pundit and punter is asking.

Could City win the Champions League, qualify for next season's competition as holders, and still be playing in the second tier of English football at the same time? City's relegation odds have already been slashed acrossfootball betting sites, a sign that the market takes the threat seriously even with the club sitting top of the table.

Winning the league is no longer a guarantee of European football next season. Winning the Champions League might be the only route that is fully in their control.

So how would it all actually work? Here is what we know about the possibility of Manchester City winning the Champions League and facing the drop.

What Happens If City Are Relegated? If City win the Champions League this season, they would automatically qualify for next year's edition as titleholders, regardless of where they finish domestically or whether the Premier League sends them down.