Real Madrid to Face Man City as Bayern Draw Celtic in UCL Play-Offs

The UEFA Champions League (UCL) play-off round for the 2024/25 season has set up a blockbuster clash between Real Madrid and Manchester City. The two most recent winners of the competition were paired in the draw held on Friday at the House of European Football in Nyon, Switzerland.

The play-off round features teams that finished outside the top eight in the new league format, failing to secure automatic qualification for the knockout stage. While the bottom eight teams were eliminated, those ranked between ninth and 24th were drawn against each other to fight for a place in the round of 16.

Real Madrid, who finished 11th in the preliminary stage, narrowly missed direct qualification by just one point. Manchester City secured their play-off spot dramatically, winning their final league-stage match against Club Brugge. The upcoming encounter marks the third consecutive season the two teams will face off at different stages of the competition.

Elsewhere in the draw, Bayern Munich will take on Scottish champions Celtic, while Atalanta face Club Brugge. Paris Saint-Germain were drawn against Brest, Juventus will battle PSV Eindhoven, and AC Milan will meet Feyenoord.

The first legs of the play-offs are scheduled for February 11, with the return fixtures set to take place a week later.

Full UCL Play-Off Round Draw:

– Brest vs Paris Saint-Germain
– Club Brugge vs Atalanta
– Manchester City vs Real Madrid
– Juventus vs PSV Eindhoven
– Monaco vs Benfica
– Sporting CP vs Borussia Dortmund
– Celtic vs Bayern Munich
– Feyenoord vs AC Milan