FOOTBALL – MANCHESTER City and Real Madrid will renew their familiar rivalry after being drawn together in the Champions League knockout phase for the sixth time since 2019-20 following yesterday’s draw for the last 16, quarter-finals and semi-finals.
The two heavyweights have already crossed swords once this campaign, with City mounting a comeback to beat record 15-times European champions Real 2-1 in December’s league-phase match.
It also marks the first time in Champions League history that two teams will play each other in the knockout stages in five consecutive seasons.
“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,” City boss Pep Guardiola told reporters.
Holders Paris St Germain will face Chelsea in a repeat of last year’s ill-tempered Club World Cup final in which the Premier League side came out on top.
Arsenal play Bayer Leverkusen and the Premier League leaders have avoided the tournament’s heavyweights after their perfect record of eight wins put them top of the standings in the league phase.
Should they qualify for the quarter-finals, Arsenal will play either Sporting or Bodo/Glimt while Real Madrid, Manchester City, PSG, Liverpool, Bayern Munich and Chelsea – who have won the last 10 editions of the competition -- are on the other side of the draw.
Bayern Munich, who were second in the league phase, play Atalanta, who knocked out German side Borussia Dortmund in the playoffs thanks to a stoppage-time penalty, with a quarter-final against Real or City to follow.
Newcastle United face Barcelona again after the Spanish side won their league-phase opener and Liverpool were paired with Galatasaray.
Newcastle have a fantastic team and it’s not easy, Barca coach Hansi Flick said.
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