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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
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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A big fixture so early, wouldn’t be too quick to write off city
City haven’t a snowball’s chance in hell of getting through that, that’s Pep gone
@qffaffaf affrafrfraf: Guardiola could walk into any job in the world. He could do with a break. Stress is getting to him.
@John Fagan: only if backed with money, he was never in a club that needed a re build
@qffaffaf affrafrfraf: wouldn’t write them off 100% even though it would be funny.
@John Fagan: you can be guaranteed he won’t walk into any club. It would have to be in the top 4 of whatever league and a board that would financially back him like it was Christmas Day every window
@Shane O Mac: I don’t get this kind of commentary at all. Top managers go to top clubs.. generally with plenty of money made available to them.. and it certainly doesn’t guarantee success either. This managerial equivalent of ” can he do it at a cold wet night at stoke ” is just nonsense. Does Aidan O Brian need to go work in point to point to prove he’s the best ? Pep is unquestionably the best manager in the World . His track record proves it. All this other noise is just begrudgery..
@John Fagan: that’s why Klopp left Liverpool stressed out and burnt out. No life to live. Guardiola is out on his feet and his marriage over feel sorry for him
Hala Real Madrid champions league 16 on the way
Oh well, City got there, but just have to try avoiding a complete embarrassment here. Might be ugly!.
Bye bye City
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