Manchester City will compete against Real Madrid in the Champions League playoff round, marking the fourth consecutive season that both teams have encountered each other in the knockout phases.
Elsewhere, Bayern Munich will face Celtic, and Paris Saint-Germain will play fellow Ligue 1 side Brest.
City and Madrid faced each other in the quarterfinals last season, drawing both matches before the Spanish club advanced on penalties and subsequently secured the trophy against Borussia Dortmund. The year before, City won 5-1 on aggregate in the semifinals before beating Inter Milan in the final to complete a historic treble.
However, the context is slightly different this time around. City have struggled for their typically imperious form this season, managing only three wins in the Champions League league phase and falling behind in the Premier League title race.
Madrid experienced a shaky start to the season, Although Carlo Ancelotti’s team, including star Kylian Mbappé, has recently improved its performance.
The first legs of the playoff round will take place Feb. 11-12. The return legs will be staged the following week (Feb. 18-19)
Teams like Liverpool, Barcelona, Arsenal, and Aston Villa who finished in the top eight in the league phase were not included in Friday’s draw. They have already been advanced through to the round of 16 which will be drawn on Feb. 21.
