Man City face title holders Real Madrid in pick of Champions League play-off ties

NYON – Reigning champions Real Madrid will face 2023 winners Manchester City in the plum tie of the play-off round of this season’s Champions League, following the draw in Nyon, Switzerland on Jan 31.

It is the fourth year running in which the sides have been drawn against each other in a knockout tie, with Real emerging victorious in a penalty shoot-out in the quarter-finals last season.

“It feels like a derby already, four years in a row facing Real Madrid,” City boss Pep Guardiola told reporters.

“But Bayern or Madrid, both were really tough. Hopefully, we can arrive in the first leg here and then at Madrid as best as possible.”

City, who scraped through after finishing 22nd in the league phase in this first season of the new format for Europe’s elite club competition, will be at home in the first leg before going to Spain for the return.

“In a perfect world, we wouldn’t play them, but we weren’t able to get into the top eight and that’s okay. Playing two more or fewer games doesn’t matter... we have the resources to deal with it,” Real coach Carlo Ancelotti said.

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

Paris Saint-Germain will play surprise package Brest in an all-French tie, while Juventus meet PSV Eindhoven and Feyenoord take on AC Milan in two ties between former winners of the competition.

“There will be a French team in the last 16, so we have to see the positive side. The French league is not valued enough, yet there are four French teams in the Champions League (knockouts),” PSG coach Luis Enrique said ahead of the Ligue 1 game against the same opponents on Feb 1.

Last season’s Europa League winners Atalanta, who finished one place outside the top eight which offered a direct path to the last 16, will face Club Brugge of Belgium.

Sporting Lisbon of Portugal were drawn against last season’s runners-up Borussia Dortmund, while AS Monaco will take on Benfica having lost at home to the Portuguese club in the league phase.

The play-off ties will take place in mid-February, with the eight winners going through to the last 16 along with the eight highest-placed sides from the league phase.

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

Those teams finished in the top eight in the standings in the 36-team league phase. The first season of the new format for the tournament saw all competing clubs placed together in one giant pool, each playing eight games against eight different opponents.

The draw for the remainder of the competition is partly pre-determined, meaning that whoever emerge triumphant in the tie between City and Real know they will play either Atletico or Leverkusen in the last 16.

The draw for the round of 16 onwards will take place on Feb 21, and it remains to be seen if Liverpool derive any advantage from having come first in the league phase. Arne Slot’s team will play either PSG or Brest, or Monaco or Benfica, in the last 16 in March.

This season’s Champions League final will be played at the Allianz Arena in Munich on May 31.

Over in the Europa League, two-time winners Porto will face two-time finalists AS Roma in a knockout-phase play-off tie, while Jose Mourinho’s Fenerbahce were pitted against Belgian side Anderlecht in the draw on Jan 31.

Porto, winners in 2003 and 2011, last met Serie A club Roma in a Champions League last-16 clash in 2019, in which the Portuguese side emerged victorious.

The top-eight sides automatically qualified for the last 16, while the teams who finished ninth to 24th were drawn to compete in the two-legged play-offs.

English Premier League sides Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur, among the favourites to win the tournament, secured automatic qualification to the Europa League last 16.

United and Spurs could face the winners of the tie between Midtjylland of Denmark and Spain’s Real Sociedad, or the victors of the game between Dutch side AZ Alkmaar and Turkey’s Galatasaray.

AFP, REUTERS

CHAMPIONS LEAGUE KNOCKOUT PLAY-OFFS DRAW

Club Brugge v Atalanta

Sporting v Borussia Dortmund

Manchester City v Real Madrid

Celtic v Bayern Munich

Juventus v PSV Eindhoven

Feyenoord v AC Milan

Brest v Paris St Germain

AS Monaco v Benfica

* Team mentioned second play second leg at home
** Play-off first legs on Feb 11/12 and second legs on Feb 18/19

EUROPA LEAGUE KNOCKOUT PLAY-OFFS DRAW

FC Twente v Bodo/Glimt

Union SG v Ajax Amsterdam

AZ Alkmaar v Galatasaray

Ferencvaros v Viktoria Plzen

Fenerbahce v Anderlecht

Paok v Steaua Bucharest

Midtjylland v Real Sociedad

Porto v AS Roma

* Team mentioned second play second leg at home
** Play-off first legs on Feb 13 and second legs on Feb 20