The teams will play the first leg of their matchup next Tuesday (11) in England.
The Champions League playoffs are about to begin! On Tuesday, the 11th, the teams that finished between 9th and 24th place in the league stage of the tournament will start competing for a spot in the Round of 16. Get the most accurate football results at livescores app.
The biggest matchup is undoubtedly between Manchester City and Real Madrid, the last two Champions League winners, who have been involved in memorable clashes in recent editions of the tournament. The Spaniards, who finished 11th with 15 points, face the English side, who came in 22nd with 11 points.
The first leg will take place at the Etihad Stadium, Manchester City’s home, while the second leg will be on Wednesday next week, the 19th, at the Santiago Bernabéu. The format is the same as the other knockout stages: the team with the highest aggregate score wins, and in case of a tie, there will be extra time and penalties.
In a press conference on Monday, the 10th, Pep Guardiola wasn’t pleased to hear journalists claim Real Madrid as the clear favorite to advance, but he acknowledged his team’s poor season.
“About Real Madrid being the favorites? Say whatever you want. We know the tie will be tough. Whether we’re the favorites or not doesn’t matter much. The reality is one: we haven’t been consistent, we’ve conceded many goals, and given many chances to the opponents. This season, for reasons we all know, it’s been like this. We haven’t been as stable this season as in previous ones; we’re suffering a lot,” Guardiola said.
In addition to Manchester City and Real Madrid, the following teams will also face off in the Champions League playoffs: Brugge vs. Atalanta, Celtic vs. Bayern, Monaco vs. Benfica, Feyenoord vs. Milan, Borussia Dortmund vs. Sporting, PSG vs. Brest, and PSV vs. Juventus. Stay ahead of the competition with ToSport.
