Manchester City and Real Madrid will face off in the 2025 Champions League playoffs in an exciting match for a place in the round of 16. The draw for the teams that will compete in this round was held under the new format of the competition, promising more balanced matches.
After matchday 8 of the Champions League, the teams that advanced directly to the round of 16 were defined, including Liverpool, Barcelona, Arsenal, Inter, Atlético Madrid, Leverkusen, LOSC, and Aston Villa. Now, these teams await to know their rivals after the upcoming playoffs.
The qualified clubs were divided into pairs to ensure more balanced matchups, considering only those ranked between positions 9 and 24. Meanwhile, the teams that finished from 25th to 36th were eliminated from the season.
The draw determined that Manchester City would face Real Madrid in one of the standout matchups of the playoffs. These two teams have maintained an intense rivalry and have faced each other for the last four consecutive years. Carlo Ancelotti, coach of Real Madrid, expressed his preference not to face City at this early stage of the competition.
The playoff matches are set to take place as follows: Stade Brestois vs Paris Saint-Germain, Monaco vs Benfica, Celtic vs Bayern Munich, Club Brugge vs Atalanta, Juventus vs PSV Eindhoven, Sporting CP vs Borussia Dortmund, and Feyenoord vs AC Milan.
The first leg matches of the playoffs will be held on February 11 and 12, while the return matches will take place on the 18th and 19th of the same month. The winners will advance to the round of 16 where teams like Liverpool, Barcelona, Arsenal, and Inter await, with the matches scheduled to start on March 4. The excitement of the Champions League is about to unfold!
