The Champions League play-off draw will be held at 6pm (Vietnam time) on January 31. At that time, Man City will know they will face either Real Madrid or Bayern Munich, in the most dramatic confrontation to find a chance to continue to the round of 16.
Coach Pep Guardiola and Man City face nightmare in Champions League play-off round
With the new seeding system in place for the 2024-25 Champions League, the teams ranked 21st (Celtic) and 22nd (Man City) are set to face either Real Madrid (ranked 11th) or Bayern Munich (12th) in the play-off round. The draw will determine the order of these matches.
This is a nightmare scenario for Pep Guardiola's team, as Real Madrid and Bayern Munich have both won the Champions League in recent years, and are among the brightest candidates for this year's championship.
Man City won the Champions League in 2023, but struggled this season until the final match of the League phase, when they narrowly won 3-1 against Club Brugge after being behind, to secure a place in the knockout round. However, the next journey for coach Pep Guardiola's team will be extremely difficult, if they hope to maintain the race for the championship.
If they are drawn against Real Madrid in the play-off round, it will be the fourth year in a row that Man City have faced their rivals in the Champions League knockout stages. In each of the previous seasons, the winner of the meeting between Real Madrid and Man City has gone on to win the title.
Meanwhile, if they meet Bayern Munich, this will be an interesting reunion with a Man City legend, former centre-back Vincent Kompany, who is currently the head coach of the German giants.
Also according to the new seeding system in the Champions League, the group between Man City/Celtic will face Real Madrid/Bayern Munich in the play-off round, if they continue, they will meet Bayer Leverkusen or Atletico Madrid in the round of 16. The round of 16 draw will take place on February 21 to determine the order of the matches.
The Champions League play-off round will be played with the first legs on February 11 and 12, and the second legs on February 18 and 19. In the round of 16, the first legs will be played on March 4 and 5, and the second legs on March 11 and 12.
Source: https://thanhnien.vn/ly-do-man-city-gap-con-ac-mong-tai-vong-play-off-champions-league-185250130090031609.htm
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