Liverpool topped the inaugural Champions League group phase despite defeat by PSV while Manchester City scraped through

Real Madrid take on Manchester City in the Champions League as two of the biggest clubs in Europe fight for a spot in the round of 16. In what is a final worthy

Real Madrid will face Manchester City in a high-stakes Champions League knockout playoff. The winner will face either Atletico Madrid or Bayer Leverkusen in the round of 16. Seedings from the new 36-team league decided matchups.

Elsewhere among the eight ties, Celtic meet Bayern Munich and there is an all-French contest between minnows Brest and serial domestic champions Paris Saint-Germain. The first legs of the play-off matches will take place on February 11 and 12, with the returns a week later.

UEFA have held the draw for the playoff stage of their revamped Champions League this morning, as the teams who finished between 8th and 24th find out who they will face for a place in the last

Real Madrid will play Manchester City in the Champions League knockout playoffs round in a standout clash of the past two title winners after the draw was made Friday.

It will be Real Madrid vs. Manchester City yet again in the Champions League — but never as early as this, and for the first time with a Kylian Mbappé vs. Erling Haaland matchup. Two heavyweights who struggled in the new eight-game league phase were the standout pairing Friday in the draw for the new knockout playoffs round.

Manchester City defender Manuel Akanji knows they will face either Real Madrid or Bayern Munich in the Champions League playoffs but believes they can win.