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Kevin de Bruyne of Manchester City and Luka Modric of Real Madrid. Alamy Stock Photo

Manchester City face Real Madrid while Celtic take on Bayern Munich in Champions League

Knockout stages begin with some big ties.

LAST UPDATE | 17 hrs ago

MANCHESTER CITY will play Real Madrid, while Celtic face Bayern Munich in the Uefa Champions League round of 16 play-offs.  

Reigning champions Madrid will face 2023 winners Manchester City, following Friday’s draw.

It is the fourth year running in which the sides have been drawn against each other in a knockout tie, with Real emerging victorious in a penalty shoot-out in the quarter-finals last season.

City, who scraped through after finishing 22nd in the league phase in this first season of the new format for Europe’s elite club competition, will be at home in the first leg before going to Spain for the return.

Celtic will face six-time European champions Bayern Munich.

The Scottish champions are into the knockout stage for the first time in 12 years and last faced Bayern in the group phase in 2017/18, losing home and away.

Paris Saint-Germain will play surprise package Brest in an all-French tie, while Juventus play PSV Eindhoven and Feyenoord take on AC Milan in two ties between former winners of the competition.

Last season’s Europa League winners Atalanta, who finished one place outside the top eight which offered a direct path to the last 16, will face Club Brugge of Belgium.

Sporting of Portugal were drawn against last season’s runners-up Borussia Dortmund, while Monaco will take on Benfica having lost at home to the Portuguese club in the league phase.

The play-off ties will take place next month, with the eight winners going through to the last 16 along with the eight highest-placed sides from the league phase.

Liverpool, Barcelona, Arsenal, Inter Milan, Atletico Madrid, Bayer Leverkusen, Lille and Aston Villa are the sides already through to the last 16.

 

The play-off draw:

Brest vs PSG

Clubs Brugge vs Atalanta

Man City vs Real Madrid

Juventus vs PSV

Monaco vs Benfica

Sporting vs Borussia Dortmund

Celtic vs Bayern Munich

Feyenoord vs AC Milan

 

– © AFP 2025

 

Written by AFP and originally published on The 42 whose award-winning team produces original content that you won’t find anywhere else: on GAA, League of Ireland, women’s sport and boxing, as well as our game-changing rugby coverage, all with an Irish eye. Subscribe here.

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