SPORTS NEWS; – Real Madrid is set to face Manchester City in the Champions League knockout playoffs, marking a significant encounter between the previous two title holders, following the draw conducted on Friday.
Manchester City, the reigning champion of 2023, will host the first leg of the matchup on either February 11 or 12, while the return leg will take place in Madrid on February 18 or 19. Last season, Madrid secured their record-extending 15th European title.
The victor of this two-legged tie will progress to the round of 16, where they will meet either Atletico Madrid or Bayer Leverkusen, both of whom finished in the top eight of the newly established 36-team league standings that concluded on Wednesday.
Teams ranked from 9th to 24th in the standings have been relegated to the two-leg knockout playoffs. Real Madrid finished in 11th place, while Manchester City narrowly qualified in 22nd position, managing to secure their spot by defeating Club Brugge 3-1 in a crucial match.
By finishing in 22nd place, Manchester City was aware that they would face either 11th-ranked Real Madrid or 12th-ranked Bayern Munich in the playoffs. Bayern Munich, however, was drawn to compete against 21st-place Celtic.
