Manchester City and Real Madrid are set to reignite their storied rivalry after being drawn against each other in the Champions League knockout stage for the sixth time since the 2019-20 season. This highly anticipated matchup comes following Friday’s draw, which determined the last 16, quarter-finals, and semi-finals.
Earlier in the current campaign, City managed to edge past the storied 15-time European champions, securing a 2-1 victory during their league-phase encounter in December. This upcoming clash will be historic, as it marks the first instance in Champions League history where two teams will face off in the knockout stages for five consecutive seasons. Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola expressed the importance of such high-profile matches, stating, “For our club, as much as you play against the best teams in the whole history of this competition, you learn and improve and you are better in the future.”
Defending champions Paris St Germain have also been drawn against Chelsea, setting the stage for a rematch of last year’s fiery Club World Cup final, which Chelsea won. Chelsea manager Liam Rosenior, who has prior experience in French football, expressed his enthusiasm, saying, “So excited. PSG are a fantastic team. They’re a team I’ve always admired.”
In the draws, Arsenal has drawn Bayer Leverkusen, ensuring they narrowly avoided going up against the tournament’s titans. The Premier League leaders have maintained a perfect record of eight wins, which places them atop their league phase standings. Should they advance to the quarter-finals, they would meet either Sporting or Bodo/Glimt while the likes of Real Madrid, Manchester City, PSG, Liverpool, Bayern Munich, and Chelsea are configured on the opposite side of the bracket. Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta shared his excitement: “We are very excited to play the next round. We have earned the right to be in a strong position with what we’ve done in the group stage.”
In additional matches, Bayern Munich, who finished second in the league phase, will face Atalanta, while Newcastle United will once again go up against Barcelona, following their opening match loss to the Spanish giants. Liverpool has been paired with Galatasaray, and Tottenham Hotspur will take on Atletico Madrid. Notably, Bodo/Glimt, who have made waves by defeating City, Atletico, and Inter Milan this season, will battle Sporting.
The last-16 draw is as follows:
– Real Madrid vs. Manchester City
– Bodo/Glimt vs. Sporting
– Paris St Germain vs. Chelsea
– Newcastle United vs. Barcelona
– Galatasaray vs. Liverpool
– Atletico Madrid vs. Tottenham Hotspur
– Atalanta vs. Bayern Munich
– Bayer Leverkusen vs. Arsenal
Should the favorites win, the quarter-finals could set up some thrilling encounters, including a possible rematch between PSG and Chelsea and a clash between Manchester City and Bayern Munich. As the tournament progresses, fans can look forward to exhilarating matches filled with high stakes and drama.
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