Manchester City face Real Madrid in crucial Champions League knockout stage
Manchester City will have to overcome Real Madrid in a mouthwatering knockout play-off tie to keep their Champions League dreams alive. The Citizens sealed their place in the next round of the European Cup after a comeback 3-1 victory over Club Brugge on Wednesday night.
The draw for the knockout play-off round determined that Manchester City would face Real Madrid, renewing their rivalry in European’s premier competition. This will be the fourth consecutive campaign in which the two teams have been drawn against each other. In the 2021/22 season, Los Blancos eliminated City in the semi-finals. Revenge was exacted the following season in the quarter-finals, and City went on to win the trophy. However, last year, Real Madrid emerged victorious in the quarter-finals, knocking City out on penalties at the Etihad.
As City finished below 16th in the table, they will play their first leg at the Etihad on either February 11/12, with the deciding second leg at the Bernabeu the following week.
Champions League knockout play-off ties
- Atalanta vs Club Brugge
- Borussia Dortmund vs Sporting Lisbon
- Real Madrid vs Manchester City
- Bayern Munich vs Celtic
- PSV vs Juventus
- AC Milan vs Feyenoord
- Paris Saint-Germain vs Brest
- Benfica vs Monaco
If Manchester City advance to the last-16, they could face either Spanish giants Atletico Madrid or Xabi Alonso’s Bayer Leverkusen. Atletico Madrid won six of their eight matches in the league phase, while Leverkusen have lost just three games in all competitions this season. The winner of the Celtic vs Bayern matchup will then face either Atletico Madrid or Bayer Leverkusen in the next round. The draw for the last-16 will take place on February 21.
Stay tuned for more updates on the Champions League.
