Man City to meet Real Madrid in Champions League play-off round

When midfielder Thiago Alcantara's draw showed Real Madrid - Man City's opponent, legend Emilio Butragueno showed no emotion even though the defending champion faced the toughest opponent possible. But when Alcantara drew Bayern against Celtic, the "Gray Tiger" representative kept smacking his lips, looking frustrated.

Alcantara can be pleased that his former club avoided Man City, while neutrals will also witness two of Europe's strongest teams in recent years being eliminated before the round of 16. The competition between two star strikers Erling Haaland and Kylian Mbappe also promises to be exciting, as does the battle of wits between two great coaches Pep Guardiola and Carlo Ancelotti.

Man City have met Real 12 times, with 4 wins, 4 draws and 4 losses. They have met in 5 knockout rounds of the Champions League, in which Man City have advanced 2 times, Real 3 times.

In the last four seasons, Man City have faced Real in the knockout stages of the Champions League. Man City lost in the quarter-finals in 2022, then won overwhelmingly in the semi-finals in 2023. Last year, Real eliminated Man City on penalties in the quarter-finals.

Real have reached the last 16 in 28 consecutive Champions League seasons, while Man City have done so in the last 11. One of the two teams will have to end this impressive streak. The reason is that Pep Guardiola's army played poorly in the group stage and only finished 22nd, while Real did not perform well in 11th place. Man City knew before the draw that they would have to face either Bayern or Real.

There are no other matches in the play-offs between Europe's top teams. Juventus avoid Milan, and PSV Eindhoven avoid Ajax. Instead, Juventus play PSV, and Feyenoord face Milan. These are also two matches between former European champions (Cup 1 or Champions League).

The first legs of the play-off round will take place on February 11 and 12, with the return legs a week later. The eight losers will be eliminated, while the eight winners will advance to the round of 16.

The eight teams that did not need to play the play-off round and went straight to the round of 16 are Liverpool, Barca, Arsenal, Inter, Atletico Madrid, Leverkusen, Lille and Arsenal.

The draw for the round of 16 will take place on February 21. From then on, the positions of the teams in the Champions League bracket will be finalized.