Manchester City will face Real Madrid in a blockbuster Champions League play-off with Celtic taking on Bayern Munich in a bid to reach the last 16.
Having beaten Club Brugge 3-1 in their final league-phase game to scrape through to the next round, Pep Guardiola’s side must go up against the 15-time European champions in the glamour tie of the play-off round.
City’s draw against Madrid means that Celtic will go up against Bayern Munich, now managed by former City captain Vincent Kompany.
The draw sets up the fifth two-legged tie between City and Madrid in the last six seasons. Last year Madrid ended City’s hopes of retaining the Champions League as they won in a penalty shoot-out at the Etihad in the quarter-finals.
The year before, City beat Madrid in the semi-finals on their way to completing a treble, conquering Europe for the first time in the club’s history.
The winners of the tie will advance to face either Atletico Madrid or Bayer Leverkusen in the last 16. The same applies for Celtic should they progress against Bayern.
The first legs of the knockout play-off round take place on February 11-12 with the return legs a week later.
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Following 3-1 victory over Club Brugge, Pep Guardiola revealed his thoughts on Manchester City’s chances of winning the Champions League
The draw for the last 16 is on February 21, two days after the play-off round finishes.
Aston Villa snuck into the top eight by the skin of their teeth after Atalanta failed to beat Barcelona and dropped into the play-offs, meaning Unai Emery’s side will face one of Atalanta, Borussia Dortmund, Sporting or Club Brugge in the last 16.
Liverpool top the overall table and will now face one of Paris Saint-Germain, Benfica, Monaco or Brest.
Arsenal could face AC Milan, PSV, Feyenoord or Juventus as their possible last-16 opponents.
Confirmed knockout phase play-offs
- Club Brugge (BEL) vs Atalanta (ITA)
- Sporting CP (POR) vs Borussia Dortmund (GER)
- Manchester City (ENG) vs Real Madrid (ESP)
- Celtic (SCO) vs Bayern München (GER)
- Juventus (ITA) vs PSV (NED)
- Feyenoord (NED) vs Milan (ITA)
- Brest (FRA) vs Paris Saint-Germain (FRA)
- Monaco (FRA) vs Benfica (POR)
Draw format explained
Teams finishing between ninth and 16th in the league will be seeded for the play-off round.
They will face an unseeded team that finished between 17th and 24th in the table – with the seeded team also having the benefit of playing the second leg at home.
Sides will also be paired together in the draw, meaning that the two sides who finished ninth and 10th will be drawn against either the 23rd or 24th placed sides.
Teams who finished 11th and 12th will be drawn against either the 21st or 22nd-placed sides, and so on.
The eight winners from the play-offs will meet the teams who finished in the top eight from the initial league phase in the last-16, where the familiar theme of knockout rounds will run all the way to the final.
Who will British teams play in the next round – and who could they face in the last 16?
Liverpool (Ranked No 1)
Round of 16: vs PSG (15th), Benfica (16th), Monaco (17th) or Brest (18th).
Arsenal (Ranked No 3)
Round of 16: vs AC Milan (13th), PSV (14th), Feyenoord (19th) or Juventus (20th).
Aston Villa (Ranked No 8)
Round of 16: vs Atalanta (9th), Borussia Dortmund (10th), Sporting (23rd) or Club Brugge (24th).
Celtic (Ranked No 21)
Knockout playoffs: vs Bayern Munich (11th)
Round of 16: vs Atletico Madrid (5th) or Bayer Leverkusen (6th).
Manchester City (Ranked No 22)
Knockout playoffs: Real Madrid (12th).
Round of 16: vs Atletico Madrid (5th) or Bayer Leverkusen (6th).
When are the 2024/25 Champions League knockout fixtures?
- Round of 16: March 4/5 and March 11/12, 2025
- Quarter-finals: April 8/9 and April 15/16, 2025
- Semi-finals: April 29/30 and May 6/7, 2025
- Final: May 31, 2025
