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Kevin de Bruyne of Manchester City and Luka Modric of Real Madrid. Alamy Stock Photo

Manchester City face Real Madrid while Celtic take on Bayern Munich in Champions League

In the Europa League, Manchester United and Tottenham were among the clubs to discover their potential opponents in the last 16.

LAST UPDATE | 31 Jan

MANCHESTER CITY will play Real Madrid, while Celtic face Bayern Munich in the Uefa Champions League round of 16 play-offs.  

Reigning champions Madrid will face 2023 winners Manchester City, following Friday’s draw.

It is the fourth year running in which the sides have been drawn against each other in a knockout tie, with Real emerging victorious in a penalty shoot-out in the quarter-finals last season.

City, who scraped through after finishing 22nd in the league phase in this first season of the new format for Europe’s elite club competition, will be at home in the first leg before going to Spain for the return.

Celtic will face six-time European champions Bayern Munich.

The Scottish champions are into the knockout stage for the first time in 12 years and last faced Bayern in the group phase in 2017/18, losing home and away.

Paris Saint-Germain will play surprise package Brest in an all-French tie, while Juventus play PSV Eindhoven and Feyenoord take on AC Milan in two ties between former winners of the competition.

Last season’s Europa League winners Atalanta, who finished one place outside the top eight which offered a direct path to the last 16, will face Club Brugge of Belgium.

Sporting of Portugal were drawn against last season’s runners-up Borussia Dortmund, while Monaco will take on Benfica having lost at home to the Portuguese club in the league phase.

The play-off ties will take place next month, with the eight winners going through to the last 16 along with the eight highest-placed sides from the league phase.

Liverpool, Barcelona, Arsenal, Inter Milan, Atletico Madrid, Bayer Leverkusen, Lille and Aston Villa are the sides already through to the last 16.

In the Europa League, former winners Porto were drawn to face Claudio Ranieri’s Roma in the standout tie of the knockout phase play-offs, while Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur were among the clubs to discover their potential opponents in the last 16.

Porto, who won the Europa League in 2011 as well as its predecessor, the Uefa Cup, in 2003, will be at home in the first leg on 13 February with the return in Italy a week later.

Other notable play-off round ties will see Jose Mourinho’s Fenerbahce come up against Anderlecht and Ajax play close neighbours Union Saint-Gilloise of Belgium.

The eight winners from the play-off round will go through to the last 16, where they will join the top eight teams from the league phase.

Lazio finished on top of the standings, just ahead of Athletic Bilbao, with United and Spurs coming third and fourth respectively.

With the draw for the last 16 based on a pre-determined bracket, the two Premier League sides know they will face either the winners of the play-off tie between AZ Alkmaar and Galatasaray, or that between Midtjylland of Denmark and Real Sociedad.

Spurs have already played AZ and Galatasaray in the league phase, beating the Dutch club 1-0 at home and losing 3-2 to the Turkish giants in Istanbul.

United played Galatasaray in the Champions League group stage last season, taking just one point from a possible six.

Real Sociedad are familiar opponents for the Old Trafford club: they met in the Champions League group stage in 2013/14, in the Europa League last 32 in 2021, and in the Europa League group stage in 2022.

Rangers, the 2022 Europa League runners-up, scraped into eighth place in the league phase and can face FC Twente of the Netherlands, Norwegian champions Bodo/Glimt, Fenerbahce or Anderlecht in the last 16.

The draw for the last 16 will take place on 21 February 21, with the ties being played in the first half of March. This season’s Europa League final will be played in Bilbao on Wednesday, 21 May.

Champions League play-off draw:

  • Brest vs PSG
  • Clubs Brugge vs Atalanta
  • Man City vs Real Madrid
  • Juventus vs PSV
  • Monaco vs Benfica
  • Sporting vs Borussia Dortmund
  • Celtic vs Bayern Munich
  • Feyenoord vs AC Milan

Europa League knockout phase play-offs draw:

  • Ferencvaros v Viktoria Plzen
  • FC Twente v Bodo/Glimt
  • Union Saint-Gilloise v Ajax
  • AZ Alkmaar v Galatasaray
  • FC Porto v Roma
  • Fenerbahce v Anderlecht 
  • PAOK v FCSB
  • Midtjylland v Real Sociedad

Pre-determined bracket for Europa League last 16 (draw to take place 21 Feb)

  • Ferencvaros or Viktoria Plzen v Lazio or Athletic Bilbao
  • Twente or Bodo/Glimt v Olympiakos or Rangers
  • Union Saint-Gilloise or Ajax v Eintracht Frankfurt or Lyon
  • AZ Alkmaar or Galatasaray v Manchester United or Tottenham Hotspur
  • Porto or Roma v Athletic Bilbao or Lazio
  • Fenerbahce or Anderlecht v Rangers or Olympiakos
  • PAOK or FCSB v Lyon  or Eintracht Frankfurt
  • Midtjylland or Real Sociedad v Tottenham Hotspur or Manchester United 

– © AFP 2025

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    Mute Tom Webb
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    Feb 25th 2019, 10:56 PM

    We need Daryl back playing for Ireland such an intelligent player and currently Ireland’s best option upfront he needs to come out of international retirement now #bringdazthedestroyerback

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    Mute Colm O'Sullivan
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    Feb 26th 2019, 6:10 AM

    @Tom Webb: He missed a handy chance tonight all the same.

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    Mute Willy Motley
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    Feb 26th 2019, 6:32 AM

    @Tom Webb: he’s around 54 years old

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    Mute Tom Webb
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    Feb 26th 2019, 6:23 PM

    @Willy Motley: ok but just remember that glorious header he scored against Moldova

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    Mute Eireann go brach
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    Feb 26th 2019, 4:45 PM

    Wheres Flembomb to agree??

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