Man City finished 22nd after the group stage, and with the new seeding system in place in the 2024-25 Champions League, they were drawn into a nightmare play-off bracket. Pep Guardiola's side were drawn against 11th and 12th-placed Real Madrid and Bayern Munich respectively in the play-off round. In the end, the draw put them up against Real Madrid.
Coach Pep Guardiola and his students must face strong rivals Real Madrid in the Champions League play-off round
This is the fourth consecutive year that Man City have faced Real Madrid in the Champions League knockout stages. In each of the previous seasons, the winner of their meeting has gone on to win the title.
This season, Man City and Real Madrid are locked in a battle for a place in the round of 16 to face either Bayer Leverkusen or Atletico Madrid, who have already qualified thanks to finishing in the top eight after the group stage.
Man City will be at a disadvantage because they play the second leg of the play-off away from home. Coach Pep Guardiola's team only has a slight advantage after the first leg at home, but Real Madrid are in the midst of finding their form again with striker Kylian Mbappe having scored 15 goals in all competitions so far.
Mbappe just scored his first hat-trick in Real Madrid's shirt on January 26.
The history of confrontation between Man City and Real Madrid has been completely balanced, with each team having 4 wins, 4 draws and 4 losses.
Last season, Man City and Real Madrid drew 4-4 on aggregate after two quarter-final matches. Real Madrid then won 4-3 on penalties and went on to win the Champions League for the 15th time in history (beating Borussia Dortmund 2-0 in the final).
Other notable matches in the play-off round include: Bayern Munich vs Celtic; Brest vs PSG; Monaco vs Benfica; Club Brugge vs Atalanta; Juventus vs PSV; Feyenoord vs AC Milan; and Sporting CP vs Borussia Dortmund.
The Champions League play-off round will see the first legs played on 11 and 12 February, with the second legs on 18 and 19 February. For the round of 16, the draw will take place on 21 February to determine the order of the matches, with the first legs taking place on 4 and 5 March, and the second legs on 11 and 12 March.
Source: https://thanhnien.vn/man-city-dai-chien-real-madrid-o-vong-play-off-champions-league-185250131185452733.htm
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