Real Madrid and Manchester City now know the cost of failing to perform in the reshaped Champions League: a titanic win-or-bust clash between the last two European champions simply to claim a place in the Round of 16. Welcome to the Champions League Playoffs!
After the nail-biting conclusion of the competition’s first League Stage, some of Europe’s biggest clubs have unexpectedly found themselves facing a two-legged knockout fixture to reach the Round of 16.
And while Man City vs. Real is the undoubted tie of the round, fellow heavyweights Bayern Munich, Juventus, Borussia Dortmund and last season’s Europa League winners Atalanta must also negotiate tricky ties to make it into the next round.
With UEFA adopting a new tennis-style draw that operates two separate paths (Silver and Blue) to the final, the bracket after the Playoff draw has opened up a clear route to the Champions League final in Munich at the end of the season.
So what are the Playoffs, and how will they play out?
Club Brugge sealed their place in the Playoffs with a game to spare after wins against Aston Villa and Sporting CP while also holding Juventus to a draw, but the Belgian club almost shocked Manchester City on matchday eight by taking the lead at the Etihad and going close to eliminating Pep Guardiola’s team before eventually losing 3-1.
Brugge will be underdogs against Atalanta, however, with Gian Piero Gasperini’s team becoming one of the most consistent teams in Europe. Their Europa League final win against Bayer Leverkusen last season underlined their quality and they are a team with plenty of goals from Ademola Lookman, Charles De Ketalaere and Mateo Retegui.
WINNERS: Atalanta
Manchester City vs. Real Madrid
It’s the nightmare draw for both clubs: the Champions League winners of 2022 against the 2023 champions. On the last three occasions City and Real have met in the knockout stages, the winners of the tie has gone on to win that season’s competition.
This is Erling Haaland vs. Kylian Mbappé, Pep Guardiola going against Carlo Ancelotti and a tie that could be won by any of Phil Foden, Jude Bellingham, Vinícius Júnior or Kevin De Bruyne. It is an epic clash, but Real will go into the tie as favourites. They sit on top of La Liga and Mbappe is now beginning to hit top form, while City continue to underperform in the Premier League and seemingly can’t keep a clean sheet against top opposition.
