20.8 C
New York
Thursday, February 6, 2025

Manchester City Face Real Madrid In Pick Of Champions League Play-Off Ties






Reigning champions Real Madrid will face 2023 winners Manchester City within the plum tie of the play-off spherical of this season’s Champions League, following Friday’s draw. It is the fourth yr operating during which the perimeters have been drawn in opposition to one another in a knockout tie, with Real rising victorious in a penalty shoot-out within the quarter-finals final season. City, who scraped by after ending twenty second within the league section on this first season of the brand new format for Europe’s elite membership competitors, knew they confronted a troublesome draw with Bayern Munich their different doable opponents.

Pep Guardiola’s staff might be at residence within the first leg earlier than going to Spain for the return.

“It appears like a derby already,” Guardiola stated at a press convention on Friday.

“Four years in a row going through Real Madrid. But Bayern or Madrid — each was actually powerful. Hopefully we are able to arrive within the first leg right here, after which at Madrid, as finest as doable.”

Real gained a dramatic semi-final tie on the way in which to lifting the trophy in 2022, however City gained revenge on the identical stage in 2023 as they went on to grow to be champions.

Carlo Ancelotti’s aspect then got here out on prime final season, whereas Real gained a semi-final tie between the perimeters in 2016 and City gained within the final 16 in 2020.

“We know one another very properly,” stated Emilio Butragueno, Real’s director of institutional relations, to Spanish media.

“They are a extremely nice staff who’ve the expertise and are used to a majority of these video games, so they are going to be very tough opponents.

“But this competitors could be very particular for us and we’ll play the second leg at residence, on the Bernabeu.”

Elsewhere, Celtic will face six-time European champions Bayern, after the Scottish champions reached the knockout stage for the primary time in 12 years.

All-French tie

Paris Saint-Germain will play shock package deal Brest in an all-French tie, whereas Juventus play PSV Eindhoven and Feyenoord tackle AC Milan in two ties between former winners of the competitors.

Last season’s Europa League winners Atalanta, who completed one place exterior the highest eight which supplied a direct path to the final 16, will face Club Brugge of Belgium.

Sporting of Portugal had been drawn in opposition to final season’s runners-up Borussia Dortmund, whereas Monaco will tackle Benfica having misplaced at residence to the Portuguese membership within the league section. 

The play-off ties will happen subsequent month, with the eight winners going by to the final 16 together with the eight highest-placed sides from the league section.

Liverpool, Barcelona, Arsenal, Inter Milan, Atletico Madrid, Bayer Leverkusen, Lille and Aston Villa are the perimeters already by to the final 16.

Those groups completed within the prime eight within the standings within the 36-team league section — the primary season of the brand new format for the competitors noticed all competing golf equipment positioned collectively in a single large pool, every enjoying eight video games in opposition to eight completely different opponents.

The draw for the rest of the competitors is partly pre-determined, which means that whoever emerges triumphant within the tie between City and Real is aware of they are going to play both Atletico Madrid or Bayer Leverkusen within the final 16.

The draw for the final 16 onwards will happen on February 21, and it stays to be seen if Liverpool derive any benefit from having come first within the league section.

Arne Slot’s staff will play both PSG or Brest, or Monaco or Benfica, within the final 16 in March. 

This season’s Champions League last might be performed on the Allianz Arena in Munich on Saturday, May 31.

(This story has not been edited by NDTV employees and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

Topics talked about on this article



Latest Posts

Don't Miss